Foster
by NineSoul
Summary: Modern AU. Sanji, tormented and abused, ends up under the same roof as children who can hardly sympathize with his situation. But, that doesn't stop one group from trying. Particularly, one green-haired boy. Eventual ZoSan. Will go until they're grown-ups. ;) EDITING THE CRAP OUT OF THE FIRST FEW CHAPTERS.
1. Arrival

**Well, here it is; my weird new story!**

**It's going to be kind of dark, though, not entirely. I do always try for some humor and elements that lighten things up a bit.**

**As of right now, the rating is K+. Lowest rating I've ever had to put. '-' Anyway, that will change in later chapters, because currently the characters are too young to do anything T rated.**

**Enjoy!**

**EDIT: I've come back and done a little sprucing, employing what I've learned from my beta reader. 6/23/13. ;)**

He was eight and a half years old. No more than a baby, though he'd already started school. That's when it happened. His mother died of an illness exactly one year after being deemed healthy. Then his father started to hurt him. A lot. His father would hit him and scream at him "it's your fault! It's your fault!" no matter when or where they were. His father even hurt himself, cutting his arms with the broken bottles. It was painful to see his father like that.

It took exactly five months, one week, four days, ten hours and fourteen minutes for anyone to notice his pain. Even then, it took another few weeks before they took him away from his father. He would have been sad. He wished he were. His flesh and blood, his blood that was both inside and outside of him, his father since birth was being taken away. But, he smiled that day. It was a sad smile, one that lasted less than a minute. A smile of relief, however slight.

The woman who saved him from that hell took him to a large building. A brick building, covered in grime from all the years it had been standing without proper care. It reminded him of school. He didn't mind being in school, but this place was different. It was dark, unlike school, though just as loud. It smelled like various cleaning products, all masking an underlying smell of urine.

That reminded him of the hospital where his mother passed away. He didn't like that place.

He scrunched up his nose as he allowed the woman to lead him by the hand to a tall desk in the center of the first room. She spoke with a smaller woman at the desk, one with a bandana on her head. The woman at the desk looked down at him and he looked back at her, not knowing what to do or say. She smiled at him, a loving, pitying smile. One he wouldn't soon forget. It had been a long time since someone smiled at him with any amount of love.

The woman behind the desk gave the other woman a clipboard, something that he was also familiar with from the hospital, and took his hand from her. "Do you want to go sit over there and wait for a minute?" she asked, her voice sweet. He just nodded. He really didn't want to go anywhere, not unless his mother was with him, but he had learned that he should listen to adults, or else be punished. His father taught him that.

He went and sat on the least dirty-looking wooden chair around a glass table. Various magazines and coloring books littered the table, but he only looked at them. He didn't really want to read or to color. He did like to read, and he liked to color, but those were things he did with his mother. He didn't want to make her upset by doing them without her.

Minutes into his staring contest with a "choo-choo" train on the cover of a coloring book, the bandana woman came back. "Hey... Your name's Sanji, right, sweetie?" she asked, smiling and petting his hair. He blushed and shook his head. No, his name was not "Sanji, right, sweetie." He didn't want anyone to call him that.

The woman laughed and brushed his blonde hair with her palm. "Would you mind staying here for a while?" she asked, smiling so that her eyes crinkled at the edges. Sanji thought she was pretty and nice, just like his mother. So, he shook his head.

The woman put out her hand for him. "Okay then, Sanji-kun. It'll be nice to have you here. My name is Makino."

Sanji took her hand and shook it slightly. "Makino-san," he mumbled.

Her smile faltered for a moment before breaking out even wider. "What lovely manners you have! Come now, I'll show you to your room."

"Room?" Sanji asked, feeling bolder every second he was in her presence. Makino nodded, standing and leading Sanji across the large, dark room. He was somewhat glad to be out of that room, even as he saw the woman who saved him waving goodbye and leaving the building for her car. He didn't even know her name, but she was nice for helping him. He would miss her, he decided.

"You'll have to share your room with another boy, but I'm sure he won't trouble you," Makino told him. He didn't like the idea of sharing a room with another boy. Or anyone, really. What if they were sharing a bed? No, Makino didn't say that they were. He shouldn't let his imagination run away. "He's kind of... rambunctious, but he'll be nice to you if you're nice to him."

Sanji shook his head. He didn't like being near other people when he slept. Maybe she wouldn't make him sleep in the same room as the other boy? That would be much nicer, if he didn't have to sleep in the same room as someone else.

Makino led him down a long hallway that dead-ended and branched off into other long hallways. In the third hallway, she brought him to one of the many wooden doors. They all had a piece of paper taped to them with two names on it, except for a few. The door they stopped at said "Roronoa."

Sanji squeezed her hand. Roronoa sounded like a bad name. Maybe his roommate would beat him up? He hoped not. He didn't like being beat up. But, if his roommate was older than him or bigger than him, he wouldn't be able to stop him. Sanji had learned a few things to help him get away from his father, but not enough to evade someone who was always in the same room as him.

Looking down at him, Makino sighed. "It's going to be okay, little one. For tonight, you should stay here. I'll bring some food up to you at dinner time, okay?" She smiled, handing him a small bag that he hadn't realized she was holding. He recognized that bag as his own, brought from his house and full with his clothes. His father had gotten him that bag, a blue backpack with one strap, when he started school. Though he had vowed to always treasure the gift, it repulsed him a little as he held it.

Makino knocked on the door lightly. No one answered, so she opened it slowly and peered around the room. "It seems that Roronoa-kun is out. Oh well, you'll meet him later." Makino smiled, ushering Sanji over to a wooden bunk bed against the back right corner of the greyish room. The top bunk had bright green sheets with a matching bright green pillow and clothes hanging over the end. The bottom bunk had a seemingly thinner mattress with a white blanket, a white sheet and no pillow, made up neatly. That, also, reminded him of the hospital.

"Oh, sorry, Sanji-kun! I'll be right back with a proper pillow and blanket," Makino apologized, stroking his hair one last time before hurrying out of the room and shutting the door behind herself. Sanji instantly felt colder. Looking around the room with one dresser, one chair, one lamp, one bookshelf and one window, he wondered if he would be able to withstand staying there for any period of time.

He dropped his bag by the bed and went to the window. It was almost sunset and a few clouds were in the sky, spreading out thinly here and there. He turned his eyes down from the sky and watched a group of children playing with a ball in the yard. He had seen them before he went into the building, and they had stared at him. Not angrily, or with any sort of malice. They just stared. Sanji thought they were sympathizing with him, and he would've told them they didn't understand if they hadn't all gone back to playing ball a moment later.

Sanji wondered if he'd ever be able to play with them, happy with his meager state of living. It wasn't as if he came from a lot, but he felt as if he'd lost his most prized possessions and a piece of himself with them. He had, truthfully, lost all that he could lose without dying himself.

He sighed, putting his hand against the single window pane. It was dusty and cracking and Sanji wondered if the next small breeze wouldn't shatter it. He shivered and took his hand away from the window. He wouldn't want to be touching it if and when it shattered.

"Who are you?"

Sanji jumped and spun on his heels to face the door. A boy, only a hair taller than him if he had to guess, stood in the doorway, frowning at Sanji. He returned the frown with only a bit of fear and stepped forward, sticking out his chest to make himself just a bit more imposing. "This is my room," Sanji said boldly.

The boy at the door snorted. That wasn't a sound he heard often from children his age. "That doesn't answer my question. Who are you?" the boy repeated as he took a few steps into the room. Sanji shrunk away from him, his back touching the wall. "I-" He swallowed. "I'm Sanji."

The boy, tan almost to the point of blending in with the floor, looked Sanji over. While he did that, Sanji noticed perhaps the most important detail about the boy. "Is your hair _green_?" Sanji asked before he could stop himself.

Instantly, he stiffened. The boy looked at him, a flash of annoyance behind his dark eyes. "Yeah. And, your hair is yellow."

Sanji nodded, not knowing what else to do. The boy didn't look terribly upset, but neither had his father when the beatings started. "It is."

"So, what's weird about my hair being green?"

"I didn't say it was weird, it just..."

"Just, what?"

Sanji fiddled with the hem of his shirt. The words were on the tip of his tongue. He always had a way of saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, but this time he would stop himself. "Itlookslikeseaweed," Sanji slurred quietly. _So much for stopping myself_, he thought.

"Whaaaat? What the hell did you just say?"

At that moment, the door opened and Makino stepped in. She frowned at the other boy, lightly bopping him on the head with a fist. "Now, Roronoa-kun! What did I say about that kind of language?" she scolded, shifting the pillow and blanket that were tucked under her arm.

_Roronoa-kun?_ Sanji questioned internally. _As in, my roommate?_

"Be nice, and introduce yourselves! Go on, boys!" Makino urged, dropping the pillow and blanket on Sanji's bed. The two boys shared a look; one that conveyed stubborn, adolescent unwillingness. "Now, now. If you're going to be living together until one of you is chosen, I suggest you start off on the right foot. That means introductions," Makino said, eyeing both of them.

She sighed after a minute of neither doing anything towards progress and shuffled out of the room, shaking her head. Before she closed the door, she said, "I'll be back in a few minutes, so don't go starting any trouble, okay?"

When Makino was gone and, Sanji hoped, far enough down the hall, he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Er... I'm Sanji. Umm, it's ni-... meeting you."

Roronoa rolled his eyes. "You already said that," he stated flatly. The boy glanced at the door with an irked expression and sort of groaned before meeting Sanji's eyes. "I'm Roronoa Zoro. Now we've been introduced." With that, Roronoa Zoro climbed up the ladder onto his bed and flopped down on his back. He crossed his arms over his chest and within seconds was snoring. Sanji couldn't believe his eyes.

He stood by the window, clutching the bottom of his shirt and frowning. Sanji would have to be in that room for who _knows_ how long with that weirdo. He could almost say for certain he wouldn't survive it.

Then again, that Roronoa hadn't hit him like he thought he was going to do. That was at least not a bad thing. He might be able to handle it. But, he still wasn't quite sure why he was there. He had other relatives, aunts and uncles that liked him well enough. He didn't need to be there and he would really rather not be.

The dreary city setting was over-bearing. It felt so cold, even though it was the middle of April. Sanji hadn't been in the city very often when he was younger, only coming up every now and again to visit relatives or for something school-related. Honestly, he didn't like it. It felt like the sun never shined. And there were a lot of bad people. Mean, angry people who had nothing better to do than bump into other people on crowded streets.

Sanji frowned. He sat down lightly on the edge of the bed that was to be his and the springs creaked horribly. There was a huge dip in the middle that he hadn't seen before, and dust flew up when he patted the mattress. Sanji coughed sporadically and tried to fan away the dust with his hand. That didn't really help, but he couldn't think of anything else to do.

Before the dust killed him, Sanji stripped the thin blanket off his bed and used it to sweep the mattress. He replaced the thin hospital blanket with the puffy blue one with elephants on it that Makino brought him and put the pillow at the top of the bed.

He stared at it, the place that he would be sleeping, and he felt sad. _It wasn't supposed to be like this_, he told himself. Sanji felt like running away from what his life had become. He knew he couldn't do that; he had nowhere to go. Still, it was suffocating and miserable in that place and Sanji couldn't think properly and he just wanted to go somewhere else.

"Okay, boys, I hope you- Sanji-kun! What's the matter? What happened?" Makino knelt beside Sanji and put her hands on his shoulders. Sanji shook his head. "Why are you crying? Did Roronoa-kun do something to you?"

"I'm not c-crying!" Sanji defended, rubbing away his crocodile tears with the backs of his hands. He felt himself pouting so he bit his lip. Only babies and girls pouted. And Sanji was _not_ a baby or a girl. "I'm not crying..." he repeated, maybe just for his own benefit.

Makino made a sound that Sanji had only ever heard his mother make and then she wrapped her arms around him. "Oh, shh, it'll be okay. This place isn't so bad. You'll see," she cooed, rubbing up and down his back with one hand and stroking his hair with the other.

"I'm not... crying," Sanji told her again, sniffling in the middle.

"I know, honey, I know," Makino whispered. She pulled away from Sanji and smiled at him. "Are you hungry? Or, would you rather just go to sleep now?" she asked, rubbing a not-tear off of Sanji's cheek with her thumb. He just glared at the floor, pouting the most pitiful and cutest pout that Makino had seen. She couldn't help herself but to laugh.

"What?" Sanji asked, annoyed. It's not polite to laugh at someone when they're unhappy, after all.

"You're so adorable, Sanji-kun! You'll make tons of friends here, I guarantee it," Makino announced, smiling brightly. To that, Sanji blushed, causing Makino to laugh again. "Alright, now, what'll it be? Dinner or bedtime?" she asked again, still giggling.

"I'm not hungry," Sanji told her, offering a small, apologetic smile.

Quite a few more minutes of questions went by before Makino finally left Sanji to himself. It had gotten a lot louder in the halls during that time, Sanji noticed. He wondered how many people were staying in the school-ish, hospital-ish building. He didn't know how many kids got dumped here like him, but from the sound of it, he was guessing a lot.

Sanji sat down on the edge of his bed again, this time without the presence of a dust mushroom-cloud, and sighed. It was dark outside, he was tired, and for the first time in months, he could sleep without worrying about being attacked.

_Or can I? _Sanji looked up at the top bunk. His roommate seemed like kind of a troublemaker. Who's to say he wouldn't attack him in his sleep? Definitely better to err on the side of caution.

He stood on the edge of his bed and turned carefully to face inwards at the top bunk. Zoro's fingers were linked under his head as he snored rather like a lawn-mower. _At least he's asleep already..._ Sanji let out the tiniest of breaths and Zoro snorted.

His footing slipped and before Sanji could blink he had landed on his backside on the hardwood floor. He gasped in slight pain and shock, looking up at the top bunk to make sure he hadn't awoken Zoro. _That was a close one!_ Sanji sighed when Zoro turned over in his sleep, throwing his arm over the edge of his bed. He almost thought the other had woken up. That wouldn't have been good. Though, Sanji wasn't sure why it wouldn't have been good. He really didn't know the kid, so he couldn't rightly judge whether or not it would have been okay to wake him. Of course, he wouldn't want to disturb- _Never mind. He's still asleep, anyway._

Sanji crawled over to his bed and tunneled in under the covers. It was a lot warmer under there. He was still in his day clothes and he hadn't brushed his teeth, but he was comfortable and not willing to move. It was a strange comfort, one that smelled kind of like it was drowned in the perfume of one of the old ladies from his old neighborhood that so liked to hug him, but it felt kind of nice. Kind of safe. It was probably a jinx to think it, but he figured things were calm enough for now.

As he fell off to sleep, he wondered what his next few days would be like. If he would like it there, or if he would hate it.

**So? How have I done with my venture into the slightly-more-serious? In all honesty, I am so into this story. I don't know when I'll post it, or how long it will go, but, it'll be cool to write.**

**Okay, so, apology time! I did some actual research on the foster care system and it was all really depressing! I couldn't pick my jaw up off the floor while I was reading the wiki page! So, I improvised. I made stuff up, and, it came out like an orphanage. Sort of. I don't know.**

**If there's anything wrong, tell me. But, especially tell me if you just really liked this chapter! ^^**

**Ciao~**


	2. Introduction

**Ta-da! Another chapter! xD**

**This one did not move as quickly as I'd hoped because, it seems, I am utterly incapable of making any significant amount of time pass in one chapter. I'm gonna work on that, though.**

**So, yeah. Enjoy!**

**EDIT: Chapter cleaned up and fixed and all that good stuff. 6/29/13. ;)**

Sanji stood in the doorway of the dining room, staring in sheer awe. The dining room was one of the largest rooms he had ever seen in his whole life. Not to mention it was full wall-to-wall with children ranging from just babies to nearly adults. The walls were a light orangey color that made the room really bright in comparison to the rest of the building. There were quite a few circular, light-colored wooden tables and short metal barstools bolted to the floor around each table. Not the most welcoming seating, but it was probably the coolest arrangement Sanji had ever seen.

A few people looked up as Makino led Sanji to the line where food was being served. She helped him get some eggs, a sweet-looking pastry, and a bottle of orange juice, also introducing him to the people serving the food. He didn't really remember their names, but he'd get them later.

Once Sanji's plate was full, Makino told him to go sit at Zoro's table with him and his friends. Sanji promptly locked his knees so that he couldn't even go if she forced him.

"Oh, come on. Roronoa-kun isn't that bad, is he? Or, did he snore?" Makino tried to get Sanji to move by nudging his back, but he remained stationary. She sighed. "Listen, Sanji-kun, at this point, Roronoa-kun is the only person here that you know, right?" Sanji looked up at her pleadingly and she shook her head. "Besides me. You should just try to be friends with him. I could introduce you to a few of my favorites, but that's the best you'll get without manning up and making friends for yourself," Makino said, really working the tough love approach.

Without realizing it, Sanji had begun walking beside Makino and he could already see Zoro sitting at one of the tables. He made a pitiful noise and a mental attempt to disappear into thin air. It didn't work before they were standing in front of Zoro's table.

"Who's that, Miss Makino?" a redheaded girl asked, looking at Sanji with a kind of spark in her eyes. She smiled broadly at him and Sanji looked away.

Makino laughed at the scene and put her hands on Sanji's shoulders. "This is Sanji-kun. He just got here yesterday and I could hardly let him eat breakfast all by himself," she explained. Zoro groaned and turned away from Sanji to munch his cereal. Makino shook her head at him as she left to do other things.

"My name's Nami!" the redhead announced with pride, smiling again at Sanji and sticking out a handful of grapes. "Want some?"

Sanji blinked at her friendly offering. He was about to reach for a grape when Zoro said, "She'll make you owe her."

Sanji's eyebrows rose at Zoro, then at Nami. "I guess I don't mind. You can have half of my... this thing." Sanji held up the pastry off his plate as he sat down beside Nami, across from Zoro.

The redhead glared a little at Zoro before accepting Sanji's offer and trading him a handful of grapes. "So, your name is Sanji, right? What's up with your eyebrows?" Nami asked, poking Sanji in the eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Sanji questioned, leaning back and away from her finger. "They're just eyebrows."

"Yeah, but they're like... twisty. Zoro look!" Nami pushed back Sanji's overgrown blond hair to get a better look at his eyebrows.

Zoro looked their way without turning his head. "Wow. That's weird. They look like targets," he observed, sounding genuinely surprised he hadn't noticed them earlier.

"They aren't weird! Stop looking at my eyebrows!" Sanji whined, though he wouldn't call it that. He covered his eyebrows with his hands and frowned at Zoro and Nami. It was marginally less effective without eyebrows.

Nami grinned. "How are you gonna eat like that?" she asked, emphasizing her words by picking up a piece of melon off her plate and popping into her mouth. Sanji stared at his plate of eggs and half a pastry and wondered if it would be too drastic to eat without using his hands. _Yeah. Yeah, it would._

Slowly, Sanji removed his hands from his forehead and brushed his hair so it was covering his eyebrows instead. He then picked up the plastic fork off his plate and began eating his breakfast, watching Nami warily. The redhead just grinned back at him, like at any moment she would dive for the brows and point and laugh. _She's scary_, Sanji decided.

"Mornin'," a tired mumble came from behind him, causing Sanji to jump a little.

A mop of black hair walked around the table and climbed up on its knees onto the seat on Zoro's left. Sanji could only stare as the black mop proceeded to eat a giant plateful of pancakes one too-large mouthful at a time. Droopy big brown eyes watched Sanji through black fringe, blinking slowly. After a few minutes of staring, the raven-haired boy asked, "Hey guys? Who's that?" He yawned at the end, dragging out the last word.

"That's Sanji," Nami answered, completely smoothly, as if he'd always been there.

"Oh. Hi. My name's Monkey D. Luffy. I'm tired." He finished, yet again, with a yawn.

"Okay. Nice to meet you, um... Luffy," Sanji said, blinking when the raven-haired boy grinned at him, and then returned to eating.

Zoro stabbed one of Luffy's pancakes with his fork and dragged it over to his own plate. "Heeey~! That's miiiii~ne!" Luffy whined, reaching to take it back. Zoro licked the pancake right in the middle, and that gave Luffy pause. "I'll still eat it," he said, nodding towards the Zoro-spit pancake.

"Eww! Luffy, that's disgusting!" Nami shrieked. "You can't eat something that has somebody else's spit on it!"

"Can to! Ace tries that trick on me all the time!"

Nami made a disgusted face and rolled her eyes. "Luffy, you're gross!" she scolded. While they bickered, Zoro ate the pancake like a cookie.

Sanji watched the scene in amusement. These people were definitely some of the weirdest people he'd ever met. Sanji doubted he'd ever mind the company, but they were loud and crazy and talking about people he didn't know. Who was Ace? He could be a stuffed animal for all Sanji knew. Or a girl. _Eww, Luffy ate girl spit._ Sanji made yucky face as he finished his scrambled eggs.

"Hey, how old are you?" Luffy poked Sanji's arm to get his attention. Sanji blinked a moment before replying proudly that he turned nine recently.

"Wow, really? Nojiko is nine! I'm seven," Nami said proudly, nodding. Yet another person that Sanji didn't know had been mentioned. Nojiko sounded like a girl name. It also sounded like Nami liked her. Sanji made a mental note to like Nojiko so Nami didn't get mad at him. He had a feeling she would be scary when she got mad.

"Aww, I'm almost eight! I thought we could have the same birthday so Makino would make two huge cakes for one day!" Luffy threw his arms up in the air, reveling in the hugeness of his dream cakes.

"Sorry?" Sanji wasn't sure if that was the right thing to say. But, it was out. He didn't really want to have the same birthday as Luffy, anyway.

"Hmm. Zoro's still the oldest then! Well, no, Ace is... Sorry Zoro!" Luffy continued blathering about ages, gesturing wildly at the prospect of birthday cake. It seemed he was significantly less tired after having eaten. That scared Sanji a little. But, Sanji was done eating so he didn't have to sit around with strangers anymore.

As he made a move to stand up, it occurred to him that he didn't know where he could go. He didn't know anyone or any room except for his surroundings. Well, and his room that he shared with Zoro. But that room made him sad, so Sanji had two choices: Stay at the table with Nami and Zoro and Luffy and listen to them talk about people he didn't know, or leave the table and wander aimlessly through the building hoping to meet someone who was even remotely nice and patient and willing to direct him back to his room from whichever wing he'd gotten stuck in.

That sounded awful. Why would he even think that? There could be bugs and rats and monsters and who _knows_ what all else in that strange place. Sanji shivered. He was _not_ going to go exploring.

"What's the matter?" Nami asked, crossing her arms over the table and looking at Sanji. "You can't possibly be cold?"

"No. I was thinking about... stuff," Sanji replied. He, of course, wouldn't tell anybody about being slightly fearful of the unknown. Everyone was, to some extent. His mother had told him that.

"Wanna go on an adventure with us?" Luffy jumped up to stand on his chair as he spoke. His eyes were wide and his smile reached his ears and Sanji didn't know why, but he found the boy amusing. "It'll be fun, and it won't smell weird like in here 'cause we're gonna go outside!"

Sanji was about to agree, something he wondered if he'd regret or not, when Zoro slapped his hands down on the table. "No! Luffy, what are you _doing_ inviting _him_?" Zoro yelled, pointing accusingly at Sanji.

Whatever was said next, Sanji didn't hear it. He could see Nami and Luffy arguing with Zoro, but, he tuned them out. It was involuntary, but he felt his hope get crushed. Was he that repulsive? Zoro didn't know him. Neither did the other two, so why? Why would they reject him?

"Hey-! Zoro, look what you did! Look how sad he is!" Nami pointed at Sanji and he looked at her in confusion. He quickly revised that, however, when he realised everyone was looking at him, instead putting on his best bashful face.

"That's it! I'm the Captain and I say Sanji hangs out with us!" Luffy declared.

Zoro stared at Sanji, who tried his hardest to look angry and not like he was about to cry. The look on Zoro's face couldn't be pinned to any sort of emotion Sanji knew of, and that was scary. He looked kind of confused. Or, maybe annoyed.

"Uh, no. I'll just go back to my room... I, uh, I've got things to do. Bye!" Sanji slid off his chair and ran out the doorway that he was pretty sure he came from. Luffy and Nami were shouting behind him, though more at Zoro than anything. As soon as he'd shut the door behind himself, Sanji breathed a sigh of relief. A few people in the hallway looked at him like he was crazy, but Sanji knew they would understand if they had been at that table of crazy people with him.

It was only rational for him to want to get away from people who don't like him/yell a lot/are crazy energetic. Yeah. Though, Luffy and Nami did seem to want him to hang out with them. It would have been one hell of an accomplishment to make friends on his technical first day, Sanji thought, but not Zoro's friends. He was kind of scary.

oOo

_Where is it?_ _She said she put it in my bag, so it has to be here_, Sanji thought, pawing through his small backpack of belongings. As he dug through his bag looking for some version of entertainment, the door opened. He paused, considered looking up, but he decided against it. He knew who it was, though, so looking up would just be unnecessary and slow him down in his search for a game.

"Hey."

Sanji paused again. _That was civil. _"Hey," Sanji mimicked. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zoro shifting awkwardly.

"Luffy and the others are looking for you... They want you to be their friend."

"Ah... I see."

"O-kay?" Zoro shifted again. "Are you going to talk to them? 'Cause, if not, I'll just tell them I couldn't find you."

Sanji didn't know what to say. His mind was literally blank. He could think of no words or actions and he just spaced out. Sanji didn't know how long he was sitting there, but the entire time Zoro was fidgeting. When he finally blinked himself out of the random stupor, he turned to look at Zoro. "What?"

"I-I was just saying! You don't even have to talk to me if you're too good for that!" Zoro snapped, lashing out in a way Sanji didn't understand.

"No one said that. Are you okay, or did your hair suck all your brains out?" Sanji asked. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to be that bold, but Zoro was weird, so measures had to be taken.

"What did you say? My hair's got nothing to do with your attitude!" Zoro defended himself, instinctively stepping forward and widening his stance enough to be kind of intimidating. Sanji instinctively stepped back away from him.

"Attitude? Who are you to talk, moss head?" Sanji's voice didn't completely hold up to the insult. He snorted at the end because of his own creativity. _Moss head? Bet he's never heard _that _one before,_ Sanji thought, swallowing any further signs of amusement as he was being stared down by Zoro.

"Moss... head? Well, you're a-... a... Dart brow!" Zoro pointed at Sanji's face when he said that, clarifying in case Sanji didn't already get it that he was insulting the curly eyebrows occupying his forehead.

"That's a stupid insult! My eyebrows are normal!"

"As if! They're like small, curly aliens! Maybe you're an alien!"

"Take that back, Plant!"

"You _first_!"

Sanji had been about to retort when one of the staff members hurried into the room and separated them. He was confused when it happened because a few of the staff members, including Makino, were lecturing Zoro whereas Sanji was ushered out into the yard to "play."

The first thing to strike him about the situation was that he had been on the offensive. A mental pat on the back was in order. Sanji had never been on the offensive before in his whole entire life because he was always defending against a stronger force. He had been in a fight with Zoro, at least using words, and they might have even hit each other if the staff hadn't intervened. Sanji was unspeakably proud of himself for that possibility. He couldn't even remember what they had been fighting about, but taht didn't really matter so much.

The next thing that occurred to him was that Zoro was being disciplined while Sanji sat quietly on a swing in the yard. He couldn't see them at the window anymore, so, they were probably done, but, when he'd been led out the door, they were talking quickly in hushed voices at Zoro. That made Sanji feel bad.

Of course it wasn't entirely Zoro's fault. And, he didn't want to blame him either. _Maybe I should apologize?_ Sanji was pondering his options when he felt pressure on his shoulder. He jumped and nearly fell out of the swing trying to see who was touching him. "Makino-san? You scared me." Sanji sighed.

Even though he smiled, Makino looked at him like people did when he cried. He didn't know why she was doing that, but, it kind of scared him. "Sanji-kun... did anything _happen_?" Makino asked, still wearing that weird face.

"Yeah. I mean, yes ma'am. We argued and _I_ was winning!" Sanji proclaimed brightly, jabbing a thumb into his chest to make sure she knew which 'I' he was talking about. She smiled briefly, before resurrecting that look.

"Sanji-kun, I mean, did Zoro... hurt you?" Makino asked, walking around in front of Sanji and kneeling so they saw eye-to-eye. All she could see was confusion, though.

"He called me a Dart brow. And an alien. Are my eyebrows that strange?"

"So, he didn't hurt you?"

"No... wait. You mean like my dad hurt me?" Sanji suddenly stood from his swing. A few of the kids stared at them, so, Sanji lowered his voice. "No."

"Are you sure? I- I mean, Sanji-kun, are you sure he won't?" Makino asked, quieter.

Sanji almost glared at her. He was having fun with Zoro earlier. Fun. Fighting! Plus, Zoro was only a little bit bigger than him, so, he could totally and completely handle it if they got into an actual fight. Did Makino think he'd lose? "Zoro and me are friends. I'm positive he couldn't beat me up if he tried, anyway." Sanji stated, nodding with finality.

Makino tried to talk to him some more, but, he got up and started towards his room, hoping Zoro was there so he could apologize.

He wasn't.

**Where did Zoro go?**

**Did Sanji mean it when he said they're friends?**

**Okay, seriously now, I had a dream last night that puts all others to shame and I'm thinking of incorporating it somehow into this story. But, I'm not telling you how. ;P**

**Review please, because reviews are love and love helps me write!**

**Random side-note; Sanji's orange juice disappeared in the breakfast scene! asdfghjkl!2(72&* IT'S MAGIC!**


	3. Friends?

**Yay! Another one! Seriously, I love this story more every second I write in it!**

**So, I feel like I should say something here; Sanji and Zoro, please remember, are 9 and 10 years old. They won't be entirely in character because people change as they grow. However, I have tried to imitate what I think they were like as children. I did stray quite a bit from their characters as Oda-sensei depicted in their pasts, though... Oh, well!**

**Enjoy!**

Over the course of Sanji's first week at the dark and dusty Red Line Orphanage* he learned how to not get lost down every turn in the entirety of the enormous building. In fact, he even learned of a few secret passage ways. But, that was by different means than just walking around; Luffy showed him.

Sanji had encountered Luffy and Nami again in the evening after their breakfast together and was immediately brought as a guest to Luffy's room to see something cool. There, he met Luffy's 'brother' Ace, and Ussop, a boy that reminded him of a chicken with a long nose. That thing was seriously weird.

But, despite the weirdness, and how often people thought he'd let them touch him, Sanji had a good time. He went to sleep that morning, two a.m. according to his clock, proud of himself for having made at least four new friends. They all had at least one other person they talked about too, so, Sanji beamed at the idea of having even more friends.

The downside to that week was when he discovered that he went to a different school than all his friends. He met other people, of course, but, no one he liked quite as much as his friends from the orphanage. Sanji had asked Makino about transferring schools, since she was the only grown-up he really knew, and she had told him that, unless he was getting expelled from his school, it really was completely unnecessary to transfer. He didn't believe that for a second.

Firstly, it was always necessary when he was lonely and his friends were in a different school that was actually closer to where they all lived. And, his school was horrible. It was small and cramped and the teachers looked at him like he shouldn't be there. He didn't like his teachers.

But, at the other school, which was much larger and nicer and not full of memories from when his mother would walk him to school, Sanji would have much more fun. He'd probably even like the teachers. And, he'd definitely like his friends.

So, Sanji set out to get expelled from his school.

After setting off a firework in the bathroom, nine tardys in a row and several days he altogether didn't attend, he was finally expelled. It took exactly two days, six hours, and one night's sleep after he was expelled before he could finally attend school with Luffy, Nami, Zoro and Ussop. Granted they weren't all in the same grade, but, he would make it work.

Actually, he only shared a couple of classes with Ussop, one with Luffy, and one with Zoro. It was kind of disappointing. But, he still got to eat with them and play with them at recess. Well, mostly. Zoro was avoiding him.

It scared him that a brand new friend of his was already trying to cut him out. Zoro wouldn't talk to him, or even look at him most of the time. Even when they were in their room together. One rainy Saturday, they were stuck in their room just sitting in silence. It was almost painful.

And, of course, that day had to kick off a rainy season.

Sanji was avoiding any reason to return to his room. He hoped he'd never run out of entertainment elsewhere in the building before he absolutely had to go to bed. But, Luffy and Ace both took spontaneous naps, so, he left them to their resting. Nami was nowhere to be found, which troubled Sanji slightly, but, he knew she must be somewhere with her mysterious friend Nojiko. When Sanji resorted to searching out Ussop, he realized he had no idea which room was Ussop's. So, instead of trying to find someone else to talk to, Sanji took a deep breath and returned to his and Zoro's room. The cherry on top of his crap-sundae; Zoro was sitting in the middle of the floor, staring right at him.

Sanji didn't even try to talk to him anymore. He knew Zoro must be angry at him for whatever the grown-ups told him that day they almost got into a fight. Even though Sanji had apologized in full that Zoro got disciplined, even though Sanji admitted it was his own fault, at least in part, even though Sanji really thought they were going to be friends, Zoro refused to speak to him.

It made him wonder what the grown-ups had told Zoro, but, he knew Zoro would never tell him and he didn't want to ask any of the grown-ups about it, especially since it had already been two weeks. Two weeks, and his roommate hadn't spoken to him. It was getting rather lonely.

Sanji plunged face-first into his bed and stayed like that until his lungs burned for air. At which point he faced the wall and ignored the feeling of eyes on him. He didn't know what else Zoro was doing before he got there, but, Sanji had a feeling he'd interrupted something he shouldn't have.

Slowly, keeping his eyes trained on the window, Sanji slid back out of his bed and made his way over to his bag, now holding only non-clothing items of his. It had found a permanent place in the far corner of the room where it could not be seen from the door. Sanji had tried to relocate his poor backpack, but, it always ended up back in that corner. He thought that was Zoro's doing, but, he didn't know why he would do that.

Inside his bag were some old books that belonged to his mother, a video game he'd received from someone on his last birthday, and various objects that reminded him of home, when things were good. Sanji pulled out a plastic snow globe from an island he didn't remember. It must have been a nice island because, when turned on its head, the glitter swam around in a beautiful field with a single house on it. That snow globe was a mystery, a pleasant one, which kept him thinking and fantasizing about the beauty of the world, like the scene captured in water and a plastic bubble.

Sanji turned the globe upside-down then right-side-up again and smiled as thousands of colorful glitter flakes flew around inside. _It'd be cool if the whole world were like this_, he thought, _if everything could be turned on its head and still be alright._

Somehow it felt wrong to try and return to his bed with his small sanctuary in hand. Like moving from the corner would taint the bright, glittery world inside his treasured souvenir with the dullness and pain of the reality he was living through.

"-ing? You've been sitting there forever."

Sanji started at the sound of a voice he didn't immediately recognize. He turned at the waist to see Zoro glaring at him. Suddenly, his legs wouldn't let him sit still, so, he gathered up his bag in his arms, shoving the snow globe inside before making to leave the room.

"Hey!" Zoro called, annoyed. To his surprise, Sanji froze in place. He didn't turn around, but, he stopped, and that meant he was listening. "I just asked what you were doing! I didn't threaten you or anything!" Sanji cringed. He hated being yelled at, especially for reasons he didn't see. Why was Zoro angry with him?

After a moment of silence, Sanji couldn't help himself. "It sounded mean." He said. He nearly slapped himself the following second, but, the words were out.

"Why? How? How did it sound mean?"

"... It just did, I can't explain it."

"Try me." Zoro's voice lowered a bit and it sounded even more threatening than before.

Sanji was in the earliest stage of panic mode and he was starting to fidget. He didn't want to try and tell Zoro, even if he could come up with words to explain it. Sanji felt threatened by the way Zoro's voice sounded. The tone, or something like that. It reminded him of a dark place in his memories, when he got nothing but a change in tone-of-voice as a warning before he got hurt.

"Well... you know? Two weeks ago? When we were arguing, that- that was fine. Fun, even. But, it's different now. I- uh, I don't know... how to say it." Sanji shook his head, trying to clear up the stammering.

"Well, figure it out, because I want to know why people think I'm threatening!" Zoro nearly shouted. Sanji's brow furrowed at this.

"People? As in, more than me?" He asked, looking over his shoulder at Zoro, despite the nagging of months' experience trying to get him to run away.

Zoro noticed Sanji's breathing, panting, really, and guessed that he was sweating as well. "I'm not threatening! I don't hurt people! I only... I ... I didn't mean to scare you, okay!" Zoro tries his best at apologizing, Sanji can tell. So, in turn, Sanji tries his best at calming down.

"I wasn't scared! And I'm not now, either!" Sanji defended, weakly. His bag was caught in a death grip to his chest, and, as soon as he noticed that, he practically threw it to the ground. When it hit, he gasped in horror.

Sanji nearly choked on his refusals when Zoro offered to help him. Sanji scooped his bag back up and pulled his legs up in front of it so Zoro couldn't touch his precious memories.

"What the hell is your problem?" Zoro asked, narrowing his eyes. Sanji couldn't believe the way Zoro was talking to him.

"My problem is..." Sanji tried to think of something sarcastic, possibly offensive to Zoro, but, his mind told him to think about what his real problems were. He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he sat there, just thinking.

Zoro groaned. "Ugh... You are so annoying! Can't you just talk?" When Sanji looked up, Zoro was rubbing his hands down his face in frustration. It looked like his face was melting.

"Yes." Sanji said, hesitantly. "But, some things I can't talk about."

Zoro blinked at him. "Yeah, I guess I understand that." He slid on his bottom on the floor so that he was directly facing Sanji. "Don't I get a hint? Or, do I have to guess?"

"What?"

"I mean the reason you're here. Everyone has their reason, but, the grown-ups seem to think yours is... worse, or something. I don't know."

"What did they say?"

"... Stuff."

It was at that point when Sanji realized they were actually talking. Not that Zoro was being terribly cooperative, but, they were getting somewhere. But Sanji couldn't bring himself to tell Zoro his story. He'd never told it to anyone. He couldn't think of a reason not to tell him, but, he couldn't think of a way to tell him. It wasn't hard. '_When my mom died, my dad beat me up all the time'... No, never mind, I'll never say it._

"You're not going to tell me?" Zoro asked, frowning at Sanji.

"I don't think I can." Sanji said, after a moment. There was a pain in his throat like when he's trying not to cry. He didn't want to cry. He didn't want to. Why did Zoro want him to say something that made him upset?

Zoro stared at Sanji for another minute, hoping he would give in, but he didn't. "Okay, so, what's in the bag?" Zoro asked, sounding minimally friendlier. Sanji looked at him with his deep blue eyes shining. "It's a secret." Sanji says after a minute, a smile playing at his lips. It was true, but, saying it made him somewhat giddy.

"So, you're not going to tell me that either?" Zoro asked, seeming far more at ease than he was before. Sanji took a breath to reply, but stopped short. He wondered if they were friends, if he should show Zoro what was inside his bag. "I might." He says, finally.

The heavy rain drowns out the silence that fell upon them, sitting in the floor of their room, five feet from each other. Sanji watched Zoro directly, waiting for him to say something, initiate friendship or whatever was supposed to happen. But he didn't.

"Umm... I'm gonna go now." Sanji says, after the longest amount of time he could tolerate sitting in silence. He went to put his bag back in its corner, but thought better of it and just pulled one strap onto his shoulder. "See ya later, I guess."

Hours later, after dinner, after bed time, Sanji lay awake in his bed. The sounds of the rain hadn't let up and usually that would comfort him. But, he was in a state of unrest, as he had been for many nights. Sanji didn't know what brought it on, but he could feel it. He was going to have a nightmare.

His nightmares were frequent. He had them almost every night, with occasional breaks in between strings of terror. He hadn't had any really bad ones while he'd been away from home, but, he knew he was going to have one, and soon.

It seemed to seep into his blood, made him hyperventilate. He wanted out from under the covers, but they were his only protection. Whatever happened to trigger his fears, he loathed it. Surely he wouldn't sleep for weeks if he had another bad nightmare. So, he had to be careful that he didn't fall asleep. In the morning he'd have to go to school, but, he didn't care about that. He could easily stay up through school, then come back and take a nap. If his mind would let him.

Zoro shifted on the top bunk and Sanji nearly had a panic attack. He didn't know quite what he was scared of, certainly not anything that snored and hit the wall in its sleep, but every little thing made that fear intensify. The thunder and lightning outside was no help, either.

Sanji pulled the blanket over his head and made an effort to calm down, but, it didn't work. He was paranoid beyond saving and he wasn't going to get any sleep. Not that he wanted to sleep. He just wanted to relax. To not be completely on edge.

At some point, however, he did fall asleep.

_Sanji looked around, trying to recognize the room he was in. He knew it was his house, but, the furniture had been completely rearranged and neither of his parents were anywhere to be seen. Somehow, he felt like they hadn't been there in a long time._

_As he ventured through the small house to his bedroom, Sanji could hear noises. He'd never heard anything like them before, scratching, growling sounds that came from the walls. It was scary, but he kept on towards his room. It was the safest place, after all._

_When Sanji opened the door to his room, the bright sun outside the windows turned quickly gray and melted into a heavy rain. He didn't pay it much attention before his body was being pulled towards the closet. It was wide open and light inside. Friendly, almost, in comparison to the raging storm and growling walls._

_Inside the closet sat a pile of dolls. They each varied in size, the largest one being about half Sanji's size. He reached for one, and it reached up to him. He jumped back, but, the doll had a hold on his arm and wouldn't let go. He screamed, but the sound was swallowed up by a crash of thunder._

_The doll, a raggedy old thing, stood up and grew to the height of a grown-up. He couldn't see its face, it was obscured by darkness, but, Sanji was sure it was his father. For a brief second or so, he was curious. His arm felt warm and wet under his father's grip. Fear quickly booted any other feelings he might have had, and Sanji bolted from the room. He didn't have to look to see that more dolls were following him._

_Sanji was trying to escape, but the house took on a different shape. It turned into the Orphanage. He couldn't find a way out. He was stuck running through the empty halls. Dust flying behind him, doors closing in front of him, Sanji knew he'd never be able to leave. No one could save him._

_Several pairs of hands grabbed him from behind, pinching him and yanking his hair, pulling him towards a dark and scary place beneath the floorboards, making him hurt, and making him bleed. The building was shaking and Sanji was trying for all he was worth to just hold on to the floor as the dolls dragged him down. He could hear laughter below him; mean, awful laughter, the kind from scary movies. He knew it was going to hurt him, whatever was laughing._

_Suddenly, the growling in the walls seemed to shape itself into a voice. Words, almost. Sanji tried to listen, but, he was panicking. Nothing made sense except the pain that awaited him._

He bolted upright and hit his head on something hard and noisy. Sanji took in a sharp breath at the pain before he registered that there was someone else there; a person causing the pain. Instantly he began struggling to get away, but his legs were stuck under the covers with something heavy on top of them.

"Hey! Just calm down, okay?" A voice was yelling at him. That didn't make him want to be calm.

Sanji pushed at whoever was sitting on his legs, but they didn't budge. He was scared, breathing quickly and covered in a cold sweat. "Calm down!" The voice told him again.

Lightning flashed outside the window and the room was illuminated in an eerie but effective way. Sanji saw who was on top of him and tried to calm himself enough to speak. "...Zoro?" He questioned.

"Yeah," Zoro nodded. The lightning faded and the room went dark again, causing Sanji another moment of alarm. "Stop it! You're awake now." Zoro told him, gripping his shoulders and shaking him a little.

Sanji shook his head frantically, "No! Stop touching me! Leave me alone!" His voice wavered with the arrival of tears. Sanji wiped his eyes quickly, trying to stop himself, but, it was too late. "Go away!" He yelled, pitifully. He didn't want Zoro to see him cry.

"O-oi! Don't- don't cry! Aren't you supposed to be a boy?"

Sanji pushed Zoro as hard as he could away from him. It didn't really work, but, it was all Sanji could do. "Leave me alooone..." His voice took on a whiney tone as he really started to cry.

Zoro didn't move, or speak, or anything. He just sat at the foot of Sanji's bed, probably averting his eyes from the hysterical blonde. Sanji mumbled for him to go away, but, that only made Zoro want to stay more.

As he watched Sanji, something in his chest aching all the while, Zoro had an idea. He reached forward and wrapped his arms around the smaller boy as another lightning bolt lit up the room. "It's okay." He said, calmer and quieter than before. "It's okay."

Sanji froze. "Z-Zoro?" He was beyond confused. He didn't like being touched, he hadn't for nearly a year, but, he found himself allowing Zoro to be close. He always needed someone after he had a nightmare, but, the last person who actually tried to comfort him was his mother.

Zoro began petting his hair, telling him 'it's okay' and 'I'm here'. Slowly, Sanji stopped crying. He wasn't anywhere near calm enough to sleep, but, he felt exhausted. He wanted to relax against Zoro, to lay his head on Zoro's shoulder and be lulled into rest by his words of comfort that reminded him so much of his mother, despite the fact they were coming from a boy not much older than himself. But, he wouldn't do that. Normal Zoro could appear at any moment and yell at him again. So, Sanji pushed him away.

"Go back to bed." Sanji told him, pulling on the covers under Zoro so he'd move. Zoro frowned at him, unmoving. "What?"

"I want to protect you." Zoro blurted out suddenly. As soon as it was out, he slapped his hand over his mouth and they stared at each other, wide-eyed. Sanji was the first one to return to his senses. "You can't." He said, shaking his head.

"Why not?" Zoro asked, sounding offended. "I don't want to see you cry anymore!"

"Because it was a nightmare, that's why not. And if you don't want to see me cry, don't look at me." Sanji said, settling under the covers and lying down so that he was facing away from Zoro.

Without warning, as he seems to like doing things that way, Zoro crawls under the covers with Sanji and hugs him. It wasn't much of a hug, since Sanji was facing away, but, he knew the blonde would understand what he was doing.

"What are you doing?"

Or, maybe not.

"I'm staying here." Zoro said, then, of all things, snuggled closer to Sanji, burying his face in Sanji's hair. "Good night."

"Hey! No, you can't sleep here!" Sanji turns over, still in Zoro's embrace, to see that the other is already asleep. Or, at least snoring. "Hey! Z-Zoro! At least let go of me...!"

***I did intend for them to be in the foster system, but, the Wikipedia page made me sad, so, I put them in an orphanage instead. As to it's name... I just thought it would be cool. xD**

**(Sorrysorrysorry, please have patience with me, okay?)**

**Okay, I realize 9 and 10 year-old boys wouldn't really hug... But, I couldn't resist. I had to make Zoro undeniably friendly, or they would have spiraled down the tube of despair. Don't kill me!**

**Hmm, I wonder how they're going to get along now, these boys? They're so cute! Anyway, please review!**

**Ciao~**


	4. Nakama

**Here ya go! Sorry for the week's delay, but, as I said on my profile, my laptop died! I will try to have consistent updates from now on, though, so don't worry.**

**Also, before everything gets started, I'd like to ask what pair you like as a couple? Using teh One Piece characters, I mean. I'd be fine not putting a couple, I guess, but, I feel thwarted after the loss of ZoSan. xP**

**Sorry about that! You don't have to answer if you don't want to, (but, then I'd do my own thing and surely you wouldn't like that), just wondering! Anyway, ENJOY!**

When he awoke, his eyes opened at once. He hadn't dreamt. He thought he had, and surely he'd just forgotten, because he never _didn't_ dream. Maybe he didn't sleep? But, he felt rested, so that probably wasn't the case.

It was still raining outside, though just a little bit by the sound of it. The light in the room suggested early dawn, five in the morning at most, but he knew better. He could hear the kids in the next room were busy chatting about something. No one woke up early around there, so, it was probably almost seven. He'd want to go down to breakfast soon.

Sanji sighed, pulling his arms out from under the covers and stretching. He didn't feel like getting out of bed yet. He just wanted to turn over and go back to sleep and erase any and all memories of his latest nightmare. He was surprised he'd slept at all after it, even though he'd had worse nightmares. If his father was in them, he was guaranteed not to sleep. It had always been, and would always be that way, in Sanji's mind. He frowned, turning over to face the wall.

But, that's not what he actually faced.

Nope.

He held in a shriek of surprise long enough to recognize what and who it was before much more than a squeak escaped him. He clapped one hand over his mouth and used the other to shake the shoulder of a soundly-snoozing Zoro. _Oh-no, oh-no, oh-no_ was all he could think. It was too weird. And, he'd have to talk to Zoro? Oh, no, Sanji was quite certain he would die of embarrassment.

"Geez! WHAT?" Zoro swatted at the hand on his shoulder, propping himself up on his elbow at the same time. He turned to glare at whoever dared wake him and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight. Sanji was perched on the edge of the bed, horrified, it seemed.

"Uh- er... um... Mornin'?"

"... Yeah. G'morning."

"I'm gonna..."

"We should-..."

"Yeah."

"Y-yeah."

"Um... I'm gonna... go wake Luffy. Bye." And with that, Zoro hopped out of his bed, in his bright green pajamas with white vertical stripes, and left the room. Sanji took only a moment to be frozen, embarrassed and confused, before quickly changing into day-clothes, checking the hall for any signs of green, and then darting off to breakfast.

That set the foundation for the day. Avoidance. It left their friends confused, but, aside from that, Sanji thought that avoiding the problem was a very successful tactic. The only flaws were mealtimes, his one class with Zoro, and, of course, bedtime. But, he could still avoid him somewhat during those times. Oh, yes. His plan was, indeed, very successful.

But, there was also that bit about Zoro having seen him cry.

Sanji shrunk lower in his seat and tried to cover his face without drawing attention to himself. He really needed to do something about that. It wasn't intentional, and it would never have been, ever, ever, ever. He just needed to think of an excuse for that, and then plan 'A' for avoid was back into action. _But, that would involve talking to him..._ Sanji groaned as he felt a headache coming on.

Okay, now is the perfect time!

Sanji thought, steeling himself for what came next. He stood outside the door to his room, after just getting home from school. Zoro was in there; he could see him because the door was cracked. And, he could tell he was awake, too. He just had to go in there and-

"What are you doing?"

"Ah!" Sanji jumped and ducked behind the door when Zoro addressed him. He quickly tried to cover up that he'd been startled by clearing his throat and stepping into the room. "Um... I mean, I need to talk to you!"

Zoro grimaced. "Okay, yeah, I need to talk to you, too." He said, nodding and sliding off of the top bunk and landing flat on his feet.

Sanji swallowed and took a deep breath. He'd thought about it, yes, but he hadn't thought about the possibility of himself being a chicken.

The boys stood facing each other, determined expressions on their faces, for a drawn-out minute. Sanji wondered what Zoro had to say that could possibly match up to the importance of his own message, but, he could tell that whatever it was was going to be blurted out at him, possibly in a shout.

Sanji took another breath, about to speak, but he ended up just opening and closing his mouth a bunch of times before any words came to him. "I'm not pathetic!" He finally stated.

"Me either!" Zoro said, sounding slightly defensive. "And, I'm not a softie!"

"I know that! And, I'm not a crybaby!"

"Good! And, I'm not gonna feel sorry for you again!"

"Don't do that! Ever! I don't want you to feel sorry for me!"

"Fine!"

"Fine!"

"We shouldn't even be friends!"

Sanji paused. "Wait, what? We're friends? We shouldn't be? Why?" He was confused and, as much as he had wanted to avoid Zoro, he thought they were friends.

"We should be rivals, instead." Zoro said quickly, making sure not to leave enough time for Sanji to get upset or something.

"Uh... Okay. What does that mean?" Sanji asked, raising a curly eyebrow.

Zoro had to think for a second. He knew what rivals were, he wasn't stupid, but, he didn't really know how to explain. "Rivals... are like friends. But, they fight and compete and... stuff." He stumbled over his words. Rivals were much cooler than that.

Sanji put a finger to his chin to think, frowning in concentration. "That sounds okay. So, we'd be like *Nakama or something?"

"Yeah! That's right! Luffy likes that title, anyway!" Zoro shouted, proud of himself for at least getting something across right. Well, sort of. Kinda. He couldn't think of a better word, though, so he was just going to go with it.

"Okay! Sounds cool. Are the others our Nakama, too?" Sanji asked, trying to understand all that came with the title. He thought it would be pretty cool if their whole group were Nakama. Well, maybe he wouldn't call Nami that. He had a feeling she'd be offended.

Zoro grinned. "Yeah! Uh, but..." He paused, putting on an odd frown. "We should probably tell them about that before assuming anything."

"Oh, right." Sanji had to think a moment before smiling again. "That should be easy! We'll call a meeting." He stated, nodding. He remembered once in first grade when his teacher called a meeting with everyone to try and figure out who painted on the blackboard. Meetings could be called for other things, right?

"Alright. How do we do that?" Zoro asked. He'd only ever seen grown-ups call meetings, and it was only ever about something serious. Of course, telling everyone that they would be Nakama was important, but, meetings were about things that were problems.

Sanji told Zoro to find Ussop, telling him that he would go search out Nami and then saying they would meet up at Luffy's room. That seemed like a good meeting point, anyway. And, Luffy said they could come over whenever they wanted, but nobody else had given that kind of permission, so, Luffy and Ace's room was the only one they could really all meet in.

It took a while, but Sanji finally found Nami in the orphanage's sad excuse for a library. It took a bit of convincing and what little change he had in his pockets, but she did finally agree. On the way to Luffy's room, she kept asking if Sanji was finally going to tell everyone why he was there.

"No. Why? It isn't really important." Sanji said, walking beside Nami. She frowned and looked at him. "Of course it's important, Sanji-kun. What if I tell you why I'm here?" She offered, not something she normally does without an extra price.

But, it was enough. She knew it would work, even though Sanji was wary about being in her debt and he really didn't want to tell her how he'd gotten there, he did want to know what happened to Nami. He'd asked on a few occasions, but she always put up a huge price for that information. The fact that she was freely offering it forward meant that she really wanted to know his story. Or, she was lying.

"I don't know..." Sanji mumbled. Nami was one of the most famous fibbers, second only to Ussop. He wanted to trust her, but, he had to wonder if she wouldn't lie about her story to get his.

"Okay. How about this; I'll tell you my story whether or not you want to hear it and then you have to tell me yours, or else be in my debt until you're old and wrinkly." Nami said, grinning and putting up a finger. "You can even ask the others! They all know my story."

Sanji bit his lip. "Okay. Okay, I guess that's fair." He said, nodding. But, it really didn't matter what he said, because Nami was already talking.

"It started when I was a baby. I heard this part from Nojiko; I'm not saying I remember it." Nami said, looking around. "There was a huge storm. It was insanity, according to Nojiko. She said that a bunch of people were panicking, saying it was the end of the world or something. A lot of people were leaving the island that we were born on. Nojiko said my parents left me there."

"Sorry." Sanji said, looking at Nami. They were slowly making their way up the stairs to the second floor, already having cleared the ground level. Nami laughed. "No, I'm glad. Chickens like that don't deserve to be my parents!" She boasted, sticking her nose up in the air with a grin on her face. Obviously, she wasn't very sore about the loss of her parents.

"But, anyway, there was this huge hurricane! Nojiko said it happened at night, when she was asleep. The storm picked up her house and it crashed somewhere near the coast of this island. She said she woke up and I was floating in my bassinette right alongside the remains of her bed. She picked me up and eventually we floated onto the shore.

"Nojiko says it was dark again by the time we reached the sand, and there was a bunch of other stuff there that floated over from our island. She recognized the sign from the grocery store and the hat that the flower-shop lady always wore. There were a few boats, too. Some of them were empty, and some of them had people in there that weren't moving. She says they were just asleep, but, I think they were dead."

The way Nami was telling her story scared Sanji a little. She was smiling; telling her story like it was a fun adventure. Sanji didn't see the fun in it, but he wasn't going to interrupt her.

"She said I was crying while she carried me around the beach, trying to find her family, or anyone. It took a while, but, she finally found a piece of driftwood with someone on there. A grown-up, breathing, moving, speaking. She said she came up to the grown-up and asked if she'd seen my parents or Nojiko's parents anywhere. She hadn't. Nobody really survived that storm, except maybe the people that stayed on our island." Nami paused, thinking. "I'll have to go back there someday. Find out what I missed."

"Why?" Sanji asked. "Don't you like it here? Maybe not _here_ here, but, this island?"

"Of course I do! I love this island with all my heart! But, I want to know where I was born, and one day I'll sail to find that place and make a map so I will always know." Nami said, determined. "Because, I am going to make a map of the world one day, why not start with my home?"

They arrived on the second floor and exited the stairwell. Luffy and Ace's room was on the other side of the second floor, so they had some time left to finish out the story.

"Okay, where was I? Oh, right. The woman that we found, or, found us, her name is Bellemere. She took both of us in! So, Nojiko and I have been like sisters, and Bellemere is like our mom!"

"If you have a family, then why are you here?" Sanji blurted. He apologized a second later, but, Nami didn't mind. "Bellemere couldn't afford us. I ran away from home last year and I've been here ever since."

"That's stupid!" Sanji yelled, before he could stop himself. Nami stared at him with wide eyes. "What do you know? I did them a favor! Besides, this way I can make a map of the island without causing Bellemere any trouble!" Nami shouted back, livid.

"But, you didn't! You didn't do her any favors! If you were like a daughter to her, she probably misses you a lot!" Sanji said, slightly quieter so that Nami wouldn't get even more upset at him.

Nami was silent a moment, calming down. "If she misses me now, then, that's okay. As long as she can afford to take care of herself and Nojiko, now."

Sanji watched her expression as he apologized, yet again. He didn't know about her situation, she was right. He couldn't just call her stupid for trying to protect her family. "So... if Nojiko is still with Miss Bellemere... How come you go to see her so often? You ran away already. Isn't it against the rules of running away to talk to your family?"

"I know that! But, Nojiko is sworn to secrecy! She can't tell a soul where I am, under punishment of no longer being my sister!" Nami said, the smallest of smirks returning to her face. "It took her a long time to agree to that."

Sanji laughed. Nami was absolutely ridiculous in her reasoning. He didn't get it at all. But, she had good intentions. Well, he thought so, anyway. He would look at her money-grabbing ways in a different light, now that he knew her story.

"There it is! The door's already open." Nami hurried towards the next-to-last door in the hallway that was opened inwards. "Hey, guys! You heard about the meeting yet?"

"Yeah, I was just telling them!" Ussop stepped out into the hall, his long curly hair up in a frilly ponytail holder. The girls at the orphanage liked to play with his hair very much. "Zoro had to go to the bathroom, though, so we'll be waiting for days!"

Nami rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right. Zoro knows what it's about, doesn't he, Sanji-kun?" She turned to look at him and Sanji nodded. "So, we'll start without him! And, I expect you to come through on that deal of ours, Sanji-ku~n!" She winked at him before skipping into Luffy and Ace's room and greeting them loudly.

Sanji dropped his head dramatically as Ussop asked what deal Nami was talking about. "You didn't pull her away from something important, did you? You're not gonna sell her your soul, right?" Ussop screeched.

"Uh, no. She asked me how I got here, and already put up her information trade, so..." Sanji said, raising an eyebrow at Ussop's outlandish suggestion. Could you even sell your soul to other people? He didn't know. It sounded evil, anyway.

Ussop sighed. "Oh, okay, if that's all. It's about time. Hey, wanna hear how I got here?" Ussop followed Sanji into the room sounding very excited. Luffy greeted them both, grinning and waving a handful of crayons at them. "Ussop tells me you guys wanna be Nakama!" Luffy shouted, bouncing up and down in his spot on the floor.

"Yeah. I guess the Moss ball told you that, huh?" Sanji asked Ussop, who then broke out laughing over the nickname. "He does look like a Moss ball doesn't he?" Ussop laughed.

"So, you do wanna be Nakama?" Luffy asked, a little confused. Were they friends, or was Sanji insulting Zoro? Those two were funny, but they made his head hurt sometimes. Sanji looked at him and grinned. "Yeah! It sounds cool, doesn't it?"

"Of course it does!" Luffy exclaimed, jumping up and raising his fists high above his head. "I'll be the Captain and you'll all be the crew! Only awesome people can be our Nakama!"

Zoro walked in just then and agreed immediately. He was Luffy's best friend, after all, and, as the first mate, he needed to back up everything Luffy said regarding his future crew for his future career as a pirate. Everyone else had to agree, too, because Luffy had his mind set on them all being Nakama for forever and a day.

"Now, Sanji-kun," Nami began, sitting down and patting the spot beside her on the carpet. "Why don't you tell everyone your story?"

*** Nakama - Comrade. I don't know if I spelled that right, but, a Nakama is a companion, an acquaintance. A very cool thing to be.**

**Hm, I wonder if you could tell in this chapter exactly how much I like Nami? I looooove Nami and I looooooooved her original back story, but, I had to change it because I didn't want Bellemere to die. Did it turn out okay? Reviews, please!**

**Ciao~**


	5. Story

**A day late, I know, and I apologize. I only started writing this Yesterday afternoon, soo... yeah! I worked hard on this. I can't say this is my best chapter ever, but, I am pretty proud of it.**

**Enjoy.**

"But... I don't want to." Sanji said, sitting down beside Nami nonetheless. She frowned at him. "We had a deal. You have to tell your story, or else you'll owe me forever! I'll come up with something even more difficult for you to come through with."

Sanji shook his head. "Yeah, but..."

"But?" Zoro egged. Luffy and Ussop snickered to themselves.

"But," Sanji began, looking at them sternly. "I didn't even agree to tell Nami! I definitely didn't agree to tell everyone." He said, shaking his head again. That wasn't received well.

"You can tell us, Sanji! We're your friends!" Luffy said, somewhat serious despite bouncing up and down on his bottom on the floor beside a coloring book and a rainbow of crayons. "I'll tell you how I got here!" Luffy said, rather than offered. Sanji was a bit curious, but he'd heard more than enough from everyone else to know that Luffy's story wasn't especially dramatic.

Ussop sat down on the other side of Luffy's coloring book, wiping his nose as he spoke. "And, I already said I'd tell you how I got here!" Ussop announced, very excited to tell his tale, which was a dead giveaway that he was going to lie.

Sanji bit his lip. "I don't know. It makes me sad to talk about it." He admitted, shaking his head so that his hair hid most of his face. He didn't even know where to start, if they convinced him to talk.

"What if everyone else told you their story, too?" Nami questioned, looking completely innocent and at ease, as if she was offering something within her rights to give. _Well_, Sanji thought, _she probably does know al their stories already anyway, so she could tell me, even if they don't._

Luffy took a deep breath, then, at a volume Sanji believed to be the loudest possible from a human being, he shouted; "My parents left me here when I was a baby, and Makino says they passed away!"

Sanji jumped at the volume, and the suddenness. "Uh... S-sorry? I mean... you don't even know them?" He asked, ignoring everyone else's yelling at Luffy for yelling. "Nope!" Luffy chirped, grinning. "And, I'm really happy I don't!"

"Why?" Sanji asked. He knew he didn't quite get the better end of the stick with his dad, but he couldn't imagine never knowing his mom. Luffy seemed to be pretty fond of how things turned out for him. He was always smiling. But, didn't he ever think about them? About what could have been?

Luffy smiled, but something was different that time. It was almost soft. "I asked Ace this one time, since he's my brother, ya know, I asked him if he knew who my parents were. He said that they're bad people, because they didn't want us. He says it would be worse if we were stuck with the kind of people that would just leave their children."

"Oh. I guess... I guess that makes sense." Sanji said, slowly nodding. He thought he'd want to know who his parents were, even if they had abandoned him at an orphanage when he was a baby. He'd at least want to know why they did what they did. If it was his fault. If they were poor, or just busy. He'd want to know.

"My turn, my turn!" Ussop yelled, raising his hand and waving it above his head. Sanji looked at him and he took that as a cue to start. "When I was born, my parents loved me so much they couldn't see straight. So, after years of being blinded by my awesomeness, even at such a young age, they decided they couldn't stand it, feeling so- so, uh... insig... nificant? Yeah! Yeah, I think that's right. Anyway, I was too great for them!"

Zoro, Nami and Luffy laughed and Sanji looked at them. Of course Ussop was lying, he knew that, but he didn't see any reason to laugh. "The, uh... the truth, please?" Sanji asked, still looking around at the others, but a bit more focused on Ussop. He looked annoyed.

"Okay, it wasn't that funny, geez..." Ussop mumbled, glaring at them each, in turn. "What about you, then, Zoro? Why don't you tell Sanji about why you're here?"

Zoro shrugged. "Nothin' to tell. Don't remember my parents. They left or somethin' when I was five. Been here since then." He said, casting a look at Sanji. The blonde frowned slightly, not the reaction he expected. "Five, huh? I'm sorry." Sanji said, sympathetically.

"You don't have to apologize for everything!" Zoro snapped. He hated that look of sympathy, that look he'd seen Sanji give freely to Luffy moments earlier. Not everyone deserved it. Not everyone wanted it, that pity, that sympathy.

Sanji frowned at him. "Okay. _Sorry_." He said, raising his eyebrows in a challenging manner.

"Alright, whatever!" Nami said, pushing Sanji by the shoulder to get his attention. "Your turn! Now! If you don't tell your story, you owe me five-hundred-million beli!"

"What?" Sanji shrieked, eyes wide. _That's like... a lot of zeros!_

"Yeah!" Luffy piped up, after taking a minute to scribble over a printed pirate with an orange crayon. "We already told you ours! It's not fair if you still have a secret after this meeting!"

Sanji bit his lip again, thinking. "Yeah, I know that." He whispered, looking around the room to keep his brain from settling. "I don't really know where to start, though..."

Nami pat one of Sanji's hands with her own. "How about at the beginning? Right when things changed. I've heard grown-ups say that before." She said, nodding. Sanji raised his eyebrows at her. He could hardly remember when his mother first got sick. He could remember the day she died, though. The same day that he first saw his father drunk. The same day that he first... that he first got...

"What's the matter? You look scared?" Luffy tilted his head in confusion, pulling Sanji from his thoughts. "Uh... yeah. Yeah, I am. I was, and I always will be." Sanji said, quietly. He had all their attention, and the room was completely silent. Sanji didn't want to say it, he didn't want to hear it out loud, but, he had to. He owed it to his friends.

Sanji took a breath to calm himself. "Can I... Um, is there any way I could get out of this?" Sanji asked, looking at Nami with his innocent blue eyes. She showed him a friendly smile and held his hand in hers. "Not a chance." She said, in such a carefree tone that Sanji had to smile.

Maybe that was it. Maybe he was just being too dramatic. Maybe he could be carefree about, Or, at least, not think about things as events. Just... words. If they're just words, merely a description, maybe, just maybe, he could do it. Without crying, or stopping, just say it. For his friends.

"Yeah... Okay. Okay, okay, okay. No interrupting, okay?" Sanji said, sternly. Everyone nodded, and Sanji began, trying to keep his mind on happier, calmer things. "When I was like... six, I think, my mom was sick. She had to go to the hospital all the time, and my dad was really upset. That's when it started, I guess. She was the same, I was the same, but Dad was different. He was so weird. Mom didn't like it, whatever it was. I don't know when or who, but somebody told me he was drunk.

"Mom got better, for a while. After months and months, the doctors said Mom was gonna be just fine. I was so happy then, I didn't even realize that Dad stayed the same. He didn't get better like Mom did. But, I didn't really notice. Life was as normal as it could ever be for a whole year. Mom walked me to school, we all spent Saturday and Sunday together. But, when I was eight," He paused. Sanji couldn't find the words. He could pull from a number of things he'd heard from a number of people, but nothing seemed to quite describe the situation.

He smoothed his hair back out of his face, and continued, slowly. "When I was eight, she... I was talking to her about some school project and she just... fell. She, uh... it looked like she was asleep, but... she wasn't asleep... Dad called the hospital and they took her away. He told me again and again, 'it's your fault! It's your fault she's dead!'. I believed him, of course, it took a lot of convincing to get me out of that, but, even now, I'm not sure."

Sanji paused again, avoiding the eyes that were all on him, and far too serious. He took a breath and tried to blurt everything out fast enough that it wouldn't hurt. "She passed away, we had the funeral, and Dad packed her things away and... And... He drank. He smelled bad, and he left bottles everywhere, and... I don't know how much I can tell you guys before it crosses the line, before I'm telling you things you didn't already know about the world." Sanji looked up, finally, and around the room at his friends. "It took too long for me to get here, and that's all I'm saying."

"You can't stop there!" Nami said, accusingly. Ussop and Luffy agreed loudly, but, Sanji wasn't changing his mind. His lips were sealed. The last thing he wanted to do was make his friends aware of the horror that someone told him once was called 'child abuse'. He didn't want to scare them, or make them upset.

The meeting was adjourned after several long minutes of practical begging from Nami, Luffy and Ussop, even the occasional word from Zoro, who, otherwise, stayed completely out of it. Suffice to say, Sanji was exhausted. He had been thoroughly questioned by his friends, and he knew they were concerned about him, or, in the least, curious, but, he was tired of them. The meeting went well as far as he was concerned; message got across, stories were exchanged, and now it was bedtime, dinner forgotten.

Sanji sighed as he finally reached room 3-22. He wasn't sure why, all he'd done was go to school, come back, and talk to his friends, but he was tired.

He fell into bed leaving his backpack and shoes in a small trail leading from the door to his bed. Talking so much about his recent past made him too gloomy to care, at the moment. His friends would think about him differently now, he knew, but, he wasn't worried about that. He trusted them. He was more concerned what he would think about himself.

His heart was aching, stronger than it had in weeks, in months. He missed his mother. There was even a small part of him that missed the presence of his father. His father before the drinking, between the drinking. But, mostly his mother. He missed her so much.

"You."

Sanji didn't even flinch at the voice. He wanted to be left alone. He wouldn't talk to, look at, or even acknowledge his roommate. All he wanted to do was lie there and think of his mother, of his life. Of whether or not he should think about Luffy's earlier words. About being better off without his parents, not having known them.

"Hey. I need to talk to you."

He ignored him. He could hear Zoro moving and he was pretty sure he was moving towards Sanji's bed, but he was being pulled into the memory of his seventh birthday. His mom had taken him to the park to escape his dad for the whole day. It was so perfect. They were so happy, and his mom was healthy.

"He beat you up, didn't he?"

Sanji eyes opened wide immediately. "Don't do this, Zoro." Sanji warned. He didn't know what he could do to keep Zoro from saying it, but he couldn't count on his own stability, so he had to do something. It was killing him to remember. Almost literally.

"I want to know. There's nothing you could tell me that I haven't already heard."

"Please." Sanji pleaded, quietly. He grabbed his pillow from underneath and buried his face in it. "Please, don't. You are my friend, right?"

"Nakama. That's why I need to know." Zoro stood at the side of his bed, now, he could hear him.

Sanji whined. "Why can't we just be friends? Why can't you respect when I want something to be left alone?" He asked, burying his face deeper in the pillow. "Just leave me alone, okay?"

The mattress dipped in behind him, at his back. "I'm not going to give up. I will know the whole story."

"Stupid face."

"Curly-brow."

"I hate you."

"Same."

"Jerk."

"Idiot."

Sanji struggled to think of another insult, furrowing his eyebrows in concentration. "I'm out." He conceded, shrugging. Sanji waited for Zoro to come up with something, some sort of comeback or insult. But, he didn't.

"Yeah, I guess I'm out, too. Huh. I thought I could come up with thousands of different insults for those stupid eyebrows." Zoro said, sounding thoughtful. Sanji rolled his eyes and turned onto his stomach, effectively smooshing the pillow with his face. "Why are you here?" Sanji asked, muffled.

Zoro seemed to propel himself off the bed and away from Sanji at that question. The blonde boy wasn't looking, but, he could almost smell the awkwardness rolling off of Zoro. "Um, well... N-no reason! It's, uh, it's my room, too!"

Sanji frowned, confused. He turned his head to the side so he could see Zoro. "You are so weird. Did ya know that?" Sanji asked, grinning as Zoro looked offended. "But, thank you." Sanji added, noticing for the first time that his mind was empty of painful thoughts and memories.

Zoro nodded and left the room quickly. Sanji thought his methods were strange, his personality more so, but Zoro had good intentions. They were definitely friends.

**Zoro-chan~! So cute~! Isn't he just the greatest?**

**Ugh, I'm so good at making time pass in stories... NOT. Sorry. I can't do play-by-plays, but I can't do quick summing-up either. Hope you liked it, though, despite my many flaws! Please review, because I like reviews, they make me happy and more... write-y. -.-;**

**Ciao~**


	6. School

**Hello again! I FINALLY got this chapter done! I would've had it up sooner, but me and my family went to a shrimp boil for FIVE HOURS. It was fun, I guess, but I've been eager to get this to you guys. I introduced some element in here that I hadn't really mentioned in my other stories, yet, so I think it's good. A little slow maybe.**

**In any case, enjoy!**

It had been all of three days since the meeting in Luffy's room. Sanji hadn't stopped thinking about his mom and dad since then, but he'd been getting closer to his friends at the same time. They were much the same as they had been before the meeting, before hearing what happened to him, and it was awesome. Well, Ussop and Zoro were a little different, but Sanji knew why for the most part.

The day after the meeting, Luffy had told him that Ussop's mom was just the same as his mom. Not that he really believed everything Luffy said, half of it was nonsense, but he believed what Luffy said about Ussop's mom. That she got sick and passed away, just like his mom. That made Sanji a little more tolerant of Ussop's lies, though he wasn't sure why. And, of course, he already knew why Zoro was being weird; because he was a plant-person.

Honestly, Zoro was such a weirdo. He was trying to coax Sanji into telling him the whole story. Which, of course, was already mostly accounted for, he really didn't need to pry, it was just making Sanji upset, but he kept at it. All the time. Like he had nothing better to do. That was so. Freaking. Annoying.

Sanji tried to arrange his papers in some sort of order, but he ended up just shoving them in his backpack. They crinkled up and folded over each other but he didn't care. It wasn't like he was planning to do school work any time in the near future. He might have to get into the disaster zone that was his bag to fish out a couple of books during or between his remaining two classes of the day, but he'd cross that bridge when he came to it.

Suddenly, he bumped into something, causing him to drop his backpack. Had he been walking? He wasn't paying attention. Sanji looked up, immediately wincing when he was met by a glare. "Uh, sorry!" He managed quickly, before taking off at top speed to someplace far away from there.

After covering three hallways and passing his classroom, Sanji finally stopped for a breath. The other students had told him about that guy, that teacher. According to them, making him angry was like signing an agreement for the end of your life. He wasn't sure exactly what that meant, but it was bad. Everyone was scared of him, anyway. _Mr. Krieg._

Sanji shivered. He'd never witnessed that man do anything to anyone, he didn't even have any classes with him as the teacher, but he was as bad as the boogey man in Sanji's eyes. Not that grade-school children were known for their honesty, but somebody did tell him that Krieg was a mass-murderer. Having looked directly into that man's glare, he could believe that.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to be in class?" Somebody called out to him.

He looked up and around, but no one was there. He hadn't recognized the voice. It was a grown-up, though. Maybe a teacher. Or the janitor. The janitor was nice. Wait, what did he say again?

Sanji frowned in thought for a moment. It hit him along with the silence; "Late for class!" He gasped and barely stopped to figure out where he was before he took off to his penultimate class.

When Sanji got to the classroom, the teacher had barely begun speaking, so he wasn't terribly late. He apologized quickly and took his seat towards the back of the room. Zoro, who shared that class with him, gave him a questioning look. He mouthed something, but Sanji didn't understand. He squinted, shaking his head to show Zoro he didn't know what he was saying. Zoro rolled his eyes and turned a page in his notebook. He wrote quickly with his short green pencil, and then pushed his notebook to the top left corner of his desk, closer to Sanji.

You look like you've seen a ghost.

Sanji rolled his eyes as he pulled out his own notebook and scribbled his reply. _I did! MY OWN!_

Zoro leaned forward to read the note and audibly asked, "What?"

Sanji shook his head. "After class." He whispered.

As difficult as it was to ignore something as strange as Sanji claiming to have seen his own ghost, Zoro stuck it out. He tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying, but she was boring, and he just wanted to know what had happened with Sanji.

When the horrible, screeching bell signaled the end of class, Zoro threw his papers in his backpack and called for Sanji's attention. "Now, what happened?"

Sanji looked at him, shaking his head. "Just a minute, okay?" He said, casting his eyes around the room at all the rapidly-departing fourth-graders. Zoro gawked. It must be bad, if he can't say it in front of all their other classmates.

As they left the room at the back of the crowd, Sanji whispered, "I ran into Mr. Krieg in the hallway!"

Zoro frowned at him. "What? He's not really that scary. He doesn't even teach in our grade."

"I know that! But, I literally bumped into him, and I saw my life flash before my eyes!"

"Now you sound like Ussop. Nobody can be that scary!" Zoro laughed. Sanji narrowed his eyes at him. "Yeah, okay, whatever." Sanji mumbled, wishing he had a class with Nami so that he could tell her about it. She would understand. Maybe even Ussop would. But, Zoro and Luffy weren't scared of anything, so it did him no good to tell either of them.

Sanji spent the small remainder of his school day trying to figure out whether or not to write a will. By the time he was on his way home, he'd pretty much decided against it. He'd just skip high school. Yeah. Avoiding the problem was... _Wait, why was a high school teacher at the elementary school?_

Sanji knew where the local high school was. It wasn't very far from the elementary school, but it was definitely a separate building. What could have happened? Surely, Mr. Krieg didn't have _friends _at their school? That would be bad. Severe high school teachers should stay at the severe high school.

But, Zoro didn't seem shocked when I told him about it... I guess everybody talks about scary teachers, but- Oh wait, some kids in my grade do talk about high school teachers... They learned through older brothers and sisters, maybe... But, still... I'm confused.

Sanji caught up with Luffy and Nami at the door of the orphanage and waved. "Hey! What's up?" He called. They looked at him and Nami gasped. "Finally! Tell this idiot that it's bad news!" She said, jerking her thumb at Luffy.

"Its bad news, idiot." Sanji told Luffy, and then he turned to Nami. "What's bad news?"

"I'm not an idiot! That's not a nice word, Sanji." Luffy whined as he pushed on the pull door.

Nami rolled her eyes. "Didn't you hear? It's awful! The high school got flooded and they can't fix it, so they're moving to the empty building right next to our school!"

"What? That's bad!"

"I know!"

Luffy laughed. "It's not that bad! You guys are just being weird!" He said, finally figuring it out and pulling open the door.

Sanji gestured for Nami to go first, and then followed behind her quickly so Luffy could hurry up and shut the door. "But, it is bad news, Luffy." Nami stated, walking off to the stairs. "Which room?" She asked.

"My room!" Luffy shouted, running up the stairs. "I wonder if Ace is back, yet!"

Nami shook her head. "He might be. Then again, he could be talking to his friends about _how horrible it is that the high school is moving closer to our school_!" She called, leaning around the railing to the bend in the stairway so Luffy could hear her better.

"Ace doesn't go to our school, silly!" Luffy called back, leaning over the railing on the third flight of stairs and grinning down at them. His flip-flops slapped the floor loudly as Luffy disappeared from sight. A door, presumably the one to the second floor, opened and closed quickly and Luffy was gone.

Sanji spaced out for a minute as he walked up the stairs behind Nami, then he remembered something. "Hey, Nami? Have you heard about that evil teacher, um, Mr. Krieg?"

"Yep. A little. I mean, I heard he hates kids and eats people's souls for dinner." She said, putting a hand to her chin in thought. "I don't remember who, but somebody told me their big brother got weeks and weeks of detention from Don Krieg just because they sneezed in class."

"Wow, really?" Sanji asked, swallowing heavily. Nami looked back at him and raised her eyebrows, prompting him to speak. "W-well... I kind of... bumped into him? In the hallway." Sanji said, reluctantly.

Nami's jaw dropped, her eyes widened and she leaned towards Sanji. "You, what? Sanji-kun, he'll eat your soul!" She said, her voice jumping up an octave and making Sanji's ears hurt.

"Thanks." Sanji rolled his eyes. He climbed up the steps past Nami and exited onto the second floor with the redhead close behind. "Sanji-kun! We have to tell the others!" Nami said, sliding her bag off her shoulders and holding it in her arms.

"I guess. But, I told Zoro and he wasn't worried." Sanji said. Nami handed him her bag and huffed. "Well, Zoro's an idiot, too, then! Just like Luffy!" She said, crossing her arms over her chest with her nose in the air. On the way to Luffy's room, Nami explained to Sanji that he'd have to leave the island and change his name in order to be safe.

"_-on a ship! I wish I was in high school!"_ Luffy's voice, followed by a laugh that could be no one else but Ace. "_Sounds like fun! But, what would you do if your ship flipped over, Lu? You can't swim."_

Sanji looked at Nami. "He can't swim?" Sanji asked, and Nami nodded. "Nope." She said as they arrived at the, once again, wide open door to Luffy and Ace's room.

Ace looked up when they came into view and grinned. "Hey. Luffy, why didn't you say you invited you're friends over here? I would've put all this stuff away..." Ace trailed off looking around at all the papers and clothes and toys in the floor. It smelled somewhat like a dog in that room, now that Sanji was paying attention.

"They don't mind! Right, guys?" Luffy turned to them, grinning at them from where he was sitting on the edge of his bed with his feet hanging off. Sanji laughed and shook his head while Nami held her nose. "Do you ever clean your room?" She mumbled, stepping over a community of various action figures.

Ace laughed and gathered up an arm-load of papers. "Not while we're doing homework!" He said, still laughing. He brought the papers over to a desk on the left side of the door and just dumped them there. "Luffy! Put your laundry in the hamper!" Ace said, kicking a pile of clothes across the room. Nami shrieked and ducked behind Sanji to avoid getting hit with a pair of shorts.

Sanji pat her on the back. "Its okay, Nami, I don't think he's going to be doing that again." He said, laughing as Ace began to snore, standing up by the desk with one leg slightly raised and his head hanging forward. Nami frowned and cautiously made her way over to sit beside Luffy on the bottom bunk.

"Hey, guys? Where's Ussop and Zoro?" Luffy asked, looking around in case they were hiding in the room somewhere. Nami threw her head back and laughed once. "They're probably in detention for sleeping and lying!" She said, rolling her eyes.

"No, I bet Zoro's lost." Luffy said, frowning in thought. "Aaaaand... Ussop's probably visiting his girlfriend!" Luffy said, nodding at how well he knows his friends.

Sanji's jaw dropped. "Ussop has a girlfriend?"

"Yeah! Well, he says she isn't his girlfriend, but he visits her all the time! And he talks about her a lot, too!" Luffy said, laughing.

Nami shrugged. "He's probably lying about her. We've never met her."

"Oh." Sanji said. He noticed he was still standing in the doorway like a weirdo, so he took a step back into the hall. "Well... I'm gonna go put your bag in your room, Nami." He said, noticing for the first time how heavy it was. Nami nodded. "Okay. I'll fill Luffy in on the Don Krieg situation."

"Okay." Sanji said, and with that, he left for the first floor. He wasn't sure how well Nami would do, seeing as she'd already tried to tell Luffy about it earlier. Hopefully, some of what she said would stick to Luffy's brain, whether or not he decided it was anything to worry about.

In the stairwell, everything sounded like an echo. Sanji could hear all the noisy kids in the halls chattering on about weird things, though he couldn't figure out what they were saying through closed doors. There were a few people coming up the stairs, but they mostly took the elevator, so it wasn't too loud in the enclosed stairway.

On the first floor, most everyone was already in their rooms, so Sanji had an easy time getting to Nami's room and putting away her bag. On his way out, he noticed that Nami had only one name on her door, Bellemere, and one blank white strip of masking tape. She had no roommate. Sanji was a little jealous to begin with, but mostly just worried. Did she have a roommate before? Is she alone all the time? Does she get to sleep on the top bunk one night and the bottom bunk the next?

Sanji shook his head. _No, Nami probably sold her roommate to someone else._ Sanji smiled to himself, wondering if he could trade roommates with someone else. He liked Zoro well enough, but it still sounded like a cool idea.

The elevator pinged and the doors opened, letting out a group of four middle-school looking children. Sanji stood to the side while they left the elevator and decided to just use that to get to his floor and drop off his own backpack. It was an uneventful ride up to the third floor and Sanji took his time in getting to his room and putting his backpack in the corner. On his way back to the elevator, Sanji nearly collided with Zoro.

"Hi. You're late." Sanji said, blinking when Zoro made a weird face. "U-uh... yeah. Um... detention." Zoro said, side-stepping Sanji and walking to their room.

It sounded like a question to Sanji, but he let it be. "Okay, well, everybody's gonna be in Luffy's room, so-" He heard the door shut before he could finish. Sanji frowned. He hated being ignored. But, if Zoro didn't want to hear the rest, it was his loss.

Sanji went back down to Luffy's room by taking the elevator. As soon as he was in the room, he shut the door behind himself and leaned against it. Nami and Ussop were conversing in screechy voices, each with a look of horror on their face, Luffy was laughing, and Ace was still snoozing by the desk, except with a curly moustache drawn on his face with pink marker.

"Hey, Sanji!" Luffy greeted, seemingly the only one who noticed him. "Why'd you shut the door?"

Sanji looked to the right, then the left. "Uh. 'Cause... Zoro is stupid?"

Luffy laughed harder, nearly falling of his bed. "Is that so?" He laughed.

The blonde nodded, surprised Luffy didn't tell him that 'stupid' was a bad word. He stepped over a mound of laundry and sat next to Luffy on his bed. "Anything important happen while I was gone?" Sanji asked, glancing at Nami and Ussop, who were still absorbed in their high-pitched exchange.

"Nah. Oh! But, I did get an idea!" Luffy said, raising a finger matter-of-factly. The room fell silent.

"You did what?" Ussop asked, quietly compared to his earlier speaking voice. Luffy nodded. "I had an idea! You wanna hear it?"

Everyone nodded slowly, not sure what to make of Luffy's sudden usage of his brain. Luffy grinned. "Okay! Well, here it is..."

**Well? I know, bad ending, right? Well, I did my best. If I hadn't stopped there, I wouldn't have stopped. So, I think it's good, but... xP I'll be bringing in the bad guys, as you can probably see. As far as I know, it'll be good, but I can't decide whether or not to put in some fantasy, (i.e. Devil's Fruit). If you have any preferences, please tell me! Review, PM, whichever!**

**Ciao~**


	7. Birthday!

**Hi guys! Late again, I know, and I'm sorry! I tried to finish it up yesterday, but me and my family went to a Cinco de Mayo party. An extremely loud, exhausting one. So, sorry. Enough of the excuses! This is for Luffy's birthday, so... nyeh, ENJOY!**

The next day, Friday, Sanji was hyper with excitement and sugar. He didn't know why, but every other second he was grinning. Well, he sort of knew why. He just felt weird for being so excited. It was stupid. Maybe illegal. Nami thought it was illegal, anyway. But, damn, it was gonna be fun.

Sanji didn't quite understand why he agreed; it was just odd. Such a strange idea, definitely crafted by Luffy. It was ridiculous. He couldn't wait, though. He had to keep from jumping up and down in his seat. _Why am I so excited?_ Sanji thought to himself, trying to focus on what the teacher was saying. A moment later, he was smirking again. Stupid, goofy, awesome, weird ideas.

Even though it was kind of boring, school passed really quickly. Even lunch, when he reconvened with his friends and they informed Zoro of their little idea. That was kind of disappointing, because Zoro told them it wouldn't work, and it was stupid. He agreed though, since everyone else was already on-board. Sanji thought that was weird, but Zoro was weird, so, problem solved.

After the last bell rang, Sanji was off like a bullet to their designated meeting place; the hallway connecting the elementary school building with the vacant, soon-to-be high school building.

That part of the building was practically deserted. He could hear echoes of people talking, grown-up voices, and kid voices. Footsteps and lockers and all the usual things. From both sides. It was kind of loud, and that made it perfect. Sanji dropped his bag in the space behind one of the pillars in the hall, along with two other bags, and he hurried through the wide, carpeted area. The heavy door at the end of the hall groaned when he pushed it open, and squeaked as it swung itself shut behind him.

"Hey! Who's here?" Sanji asked, peaking around the corners at the hallways on either side. The halls were wider than in their school, but Sanji didn't much care. It was all dirty, still, from lack of use, and the walls were an ugly green color. He was definitely going to skip high school.

"Sanji! Over here!" A hoarse whisper from the left hallway. Sanji swallowed a giggle when he saw a hand peeking out from a doorway with no door. He hurried over to the doorway and slipped in past Ussop. "Don't wave. I can hear people in this building." Sanji said, quietly. Ussop nodded, plastering himself flat against the wall with his arms at his sides.

Sanji shook his head at Ussop, who was leering at the empty hallway, appearing to be listening intently. Luffy giggled from behind the teacher's desk at the front of the room and Sanji looked at him. "What's so funny?" He asked, smiling as he walked around the desks to go stand by Luffy.

Luffy, wearing his straw hat that Sanji saw only when they weren't at school, waved for Sanji to come closer. "I have to tell you something!" He whispered roughly. Really, Luffy and Ussop weren't any good at being sneaky.

The blonde looked around at all the chairs sitting on top of the desks before crouching and leaning closer. "What s it? Part of the plan?"

"No. Do you know what today is?" Luffy asked, with serious eyes and a betraying grin. Sanji figured it wasn't going to be something serious, but it was important to Luffy, so maybe he'd just guess. Just for fun. Sanji hummed in thought, and then laughed. "Barbeque night at *the Line?" Sanji guessed.

"Eh? Really?" Luffy asked, excited. Sanji thumped his forehead. "That was a guess, Dummy! What's today?" Sanji looked to Ussop in question and the long nose shook his head, sighing. It could've been an answer to the 'what's today' question, but Sanji figured it was a 'the coast is clear; nobody heard Luffy's loud voice'.

Luffy laughed. "I can't believe I didn't tell you! It's my birthday!"

"Oh." Sanji said. "Happy birthday. So you're nine?"

"Yep!" Luffy grinned, patting down his pockets in search of something.

"Sorry I didn't get you anything." Sanji apologized, raising an eyebrow when Luffy shrugged. "It's okay. We're going on an adventure, so that's my present!" Luffy said, reaching into one of the pockets in his beat-up jean shorts. He pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and opened it out.

Sanji leaned over to read the note, but whoever's handwriting, (probably Luffy's), was illegible. "This is a note that Zoro told me to write so I wouldn't forget. It says, 'Zoro will be late and Nami's helping him, so we can start without him'." Luffy said, holding up the note and waving it around.

"Shhh!" Ussop shushed them as he leaned out into the hall. He looked both ways before ducking back inside and rushing over to the teacher's desk. "Someone's coming!" He whispered, ushering Sanji and Luffy to scoot over. The three of them piled up under the desk, holding in their legs and their breath.

They could hear clacking footsteps, close or far away, they couldn't tell. There were voices, too, weird ones, and laughing. Sanji had to strain his ears to really hear anything. They were discussing the building. Renovations, a woman said. A man's voice was talking, but Sanji couldn't quite understand him. He heard 'kids', and 'this semester', so he had to guess that they, or at least the man, were teachers.

There was a loud burst of laughter, and then the sounds died out. They waited a few moments before they began breathing again. "That was close!" Luffy sighed, laughing. Ussop reached across Sanji and covered Luffy's mouth with his hand. "Quiet! They can probably still hear you!"

"They'll think it's coming from our school!" Luffy said after prying Ussop's hand away from his face. Ussop pushed Luffy's face against the wood of the desk repeatedly, before returning his arm to its proper place. "Idiot." Ussop grumbled.

Sanji put his hand over his own heart. He was shaking. With fear or excitement, he didn't know, but it was making it difficult to sit still. He stood up and walked to the door with the other two close behind. "What? Did you hear something?" Ussop asked in a harsh whisper.

Sanji shook his head. "They're gonna be late, right?" Sanji asked, looking up and down the hall. Luffy and Ussop nodded, curious. "Why don't we go ahead and explore a little?" Sanji suggested. He wasn't sure why he would say that, but his brain told him it was a good idea. A fun adventure. Yeah.

"O~h! That's an awesome idea! Why didn't I think of that?" Luffy grinned and marched out into the hallway without another word said. Ussop jumped out as far as he could while keeping one foot in the doorway and grabbed Luffy by the back of his shirt. "Nononono! Not an awesome idea!" The long nose hissed, pulling Luffy backwards into the room again.

"Why not?" Luffy whined walking forward against Ussop's pulling.

"Yeah. I think it's a good plan!" Sanji protested.

Ussop rolled his eyes. "That's because it's _your_ plan!"

"But, it _is_ a good plan!" Luffy argued, suddenly standing completely still, causing Ussop to fall backwards.

"You're a terrible judge of good plans!" Ussop retorted, scrambling to stand up as Sanji and Luffy made their way down the hallway to the right.

The wall to their left was entirely, floor-to-ceiling lockers, all of them the same ugly green as the walls, almost like camouflage. The wall on the right was practically just a window, showing a bunch of empty classrooms, some of them without furniture and half-painted, some of them already finished. The new color was, if possible, even uglier, in Sanji's opinion. There weren't any doors in the doorways except for on the bathrooms.

"This place is kinda boring." Luffy mumbled, peaking into a room where the windows were covered in paper.

"What did you expect?" Ussop asked, peeking into the room a moment after Luffy moved on. He had calmed down significantly, seeing that there weren't even any workers anywhere.

Luffy shrugged and Sanji rolled his eyes at him. Luffy had probably expected something exciting, like talking animals and pirates. Well, that's what Sanji thought happened in Luffy's brain, but no one could be sure._ I thought there would be, like, guards or something... At least some spare-_ Sanji stopped mid-thought. He could see right into a room with blue tape around the windows and more blue tape holding a giant piece of paper to the floor. The thing that caught his attention, though, was a three-foot step stool with an open can of paint and a bunch of brushes and paint-rollers on top.

"Hey." Sanji said, stopping in the doorway. A grin spread across his face, slowly. He didn't normally think things like he was thinking then, and he wouldn't normally act on them if he did think of them. The smell of cleaner and paint must have been messing with his head. The impulse just bubbled to the surface. "Let's go in this room."

Ussop and Luffy crashed into his side, pushing him a little bit more than necessary for just seeing inside the room. "Geez." Sanji mumbled, stepping into the room and rubbing his shoulder where Luffy's head had collided with it.

"Wow! They actually left some paint in here!" Ussop marveled, skipping in past Sanji and grabbing a paint brush off the stool. "You wanted to paint a room, Sanji?" Luffy asked, stepping up beside him and grabbing a paint roller. "Weird. This thing is weird."

"No, I," Sanji paused, watching Luffy pretend to paint his own face. "I didn't mean paint the room, just... doodle."

Ussop had already dipped his paint brush in the weird grey-ish color and walked over to the wall. "What should we draw?" He asked, holding the paint brush up so that paint dripped down his arm and off his elbow as he stared at the wall. Sanji shrugged, though Ussop couldn't see it and Luffy wasn't looking.

"How about our names?" Luffy suggested, rolling a large slanted stripe up from the floor to as high as he could reach. Sanji rolled his eyes. "Then, they'd know it was us, stupid."

"Stop calling me names!"

"Shh! I think I heard something!"

"..."

"..."

"Nope, never mind."

Sanji and Luffy sighed. "Ussop, you're so paranoid." Sanji grumbled, grabbing a paint pan off the floor and pouring some paint into it. He grabbed a roller off the stool and dipped it in the paint. "Try not to get any on your clothes, or else they'll know you were here." Sanji said, somewhat absently. He flicked his wrist so the excess paint off the roller splattered onto the wall and the floor.

"Eww. That was a gross sound, Sanji!" Luffy laughed, drawing an ugly grey-blue zigzag on the wall and down across the floor. Sanji grinned and splattered the paint again, earning an 'ew' from both Ussop and Luffy, that time.

Sanji laughed, but instead of doing it again, he picked up a paint brush, dipped it in paint, and began to write on the wall. "*Ba... ka... ya... ro..." Sanji said, slowly as he painted the words. Ussop and Luffy laughed, joining in. "**A... ho." Ussop wrote, laughing at his own insult.

Luffy's face lit up, reading his friends' written insults. "How do you write (*)boroboro?" Luffy asked, stepping up to the wall, paint roller in hand. Sanji and Ussop laughed at him, and Ussop demonstrated how to write boro. Luffy copied Ussop's example to the best of his abilities and laughed at the outcome. "Writing's hard!" He decided, exchanging his paint roller for Ussop's brush and beginning to doodle.

They wrote what expletives they knew on the walls for at least fifteen minutes, although Luffy spent most of that time drawing stick figures. They hadn't heard anymore footsteps coming their way, though there were still some voices every now and then. Not like they were paying much attention anymore, since the lookout was writing 'frog-face' on the wall.

Sanji certainly hadn't expected that they'd be vandalizing the school. And he was especially surprised that it was his own idea. But, it was fun. Probably even more fun than exploring the nearly-empty school building, like Luffy had suggested the day before. It was less likely that they'd be caught, anyway.

Sanji lifted his brush again with the intention of writing 'pea-brain', when there was a loud knock that caused all three of the boys to gasp and turn around. Ussop was already starting on his full confession before Luffy said, "Finally! Zoro, Nami, where've you been?"

"Oh? Just you guys? That's good." Ussop said, shakily. "Don't scare me like that!"

"Stop being so scare-able, then!" Nami huffed, skipping up to the step-stool and grabbing a small-ish paint brush. "Wow. The grown-ups in charge of fixing this place must be really dumb."

Zoro idled in the doorway for a minute, just reading what was already written on the wall. He snorted as he stepped into the room. "This is what you guys were doing?"

"It was Sanji's idea!" Luffy said, pointing at the blonde with his paint brush. Sanji looked to Nami and Zoro for their approval. Nami grinned and dipped a paint brush in the paint, but Zoro simply stood just inside the room, looking around.

"Y'know..." Zoro said, after a moment of watching everyone else painting various insults and faces on the wall. "The halls are still green."

Sanji paused. _The halls are still_...? "Yeah... Yeah, they are!" Sanji said, nodding. Nami and Ussop nodded as well, but Luffy just frowned. "Okay?" Luffy questioned.

"Meaning, we could paint out there." Nami explained. Luffy made a small 'o' shape with his mouth before grinning wide. "Cool! But, we'll have to hurry so we can get back before dark! Makino's making me a birthday cake!"

* * *

><p>"On your marks!" Nami said, raising her arm above her head. Zoro and Luffy crouched a little lower and smirked at each other from across the hallway. Paint was dripping down from where their paint brushes touched the wall. "Get set!"<p>

Sanji and Ussop stood in the halls where they separated into different hallways, keeping an eye out for anyone coming. Nami looked between Luffy and Zoro as she took a deep breath. "Go!" She dropped her arm and the two boys participating in the race took off down the long hallway, one painting a stripe across the lockers, and the other painting a stripe across the wall and windows.

The by-standers watched in amazement, though that was short-lived. Luffy's sandals were so loud when he ran, they were sure everyone in the soon-to-be high school building, and in their own school, could hear him. Zoro and Luffy didn't even get to the finish line, an 'exit' door at the very end of the hallway, before they heard a woman's voice shouting, "What's going on over there?"

Since she had to shout, they knew she wasn't close, but that didn't stop a single one of them from bolting back through the hall and out the passage where their backpacks had piled up. They left all the paint brushes and rollers in the floor of the hallway, as well as nasty paint splatters on the relatively-nice tile floor, evidence be damned.

Once they started running, they couldn't stop for fear that they'd be caught and punished, so the group ran as far and as fast as they could, straight back to the orphanage. The safety provided by those brick walls was just barely out of their reach, but they were already in the yard so they stopped to take a breather.

"That... was a... close one!" Luffy panted, leaning against the swing set just outside the orphanage. Nami and Sanji collapsed in the grass a bit behind the swing set, both nodding in agreement. "Too close!" Ussop wailed, falling to a heap in the dirt when he tried to sit in a swing. Zoro managed to get all the way to a wooden bench with no back on the other side of the swing set. "Never... again." Zoro huffed.

"Are you kidding?" Luffy shouted, grinning like a crazy person. "This is the best birthday, ever!"

*** the Line - The Red Line Orphanage, where they live. I figured the had to have some way to reference it without saying the whole name.**

*** Baka yaro - (I don't know if I spaced that right) It means 'you idiot' or something like that. Yaro is used as a rude way to say 'you', and baka is 'dummy' or 'stupid, so, there you have it!**

**** Aho - Idiot. Plain and simple. I love Ussop.**

**(*) Boroboro - Piece of crap, junk, trash. Don't know about the spacing on that one, and it may be just one 'boro'.**

**So, that was a lot! It was mostly them, (hopefully), becoming closer friends. I felt like they weren't very friend-ish, because they didn't hang out much, and they weren't very pirate-y, so, yeah. This is my solution to that. So, what did you think? Personally, I liked it. I'll do some more progression on the story in the next chapter, hopefully, but everything depends on what kind of inspiration I get. Review, please!**

**Ciao~**


	8. Meeting

**Okay, I admit it! Late, again! Only by, like, an hour, so... mah. Anyway, this chapter's a little bit random, but I think it picks up nicely towards the end. BTW, completely un-edited, not even a little bit. Enjoy!**

Weeks slowly became months at the Red Line Orphanage and Sanji couldn't have been happier. He hadn't thought they'd get away with it, the day they vandalised what was to be the new high school building, but spring turned to summer and still no one punished them. Needless to say they'd gained a reputation at their own school.

Sanji and his particular group of friends, all the usuals, Luffy, Ussop, Nami and Zoro, had become known as the Straw-hats. Really, it made no sense, because only one of them wore a straw hat, and although they let him lead a lot of the time, there were much cooler names to be had than Luffy's head gear. But, it didn't matter. They were practically famous.

It was the beginning of Summer vacation, the most brilliant invention, Sanji thought, except for one thing; They were stuck at the orphanage. Sure that provided plenty of time to be interviewed by potential parents, but Sanji didn't want to. He'd rather be at the swimming pool, or the beach, or a park or something, but the staff were rarely feeling froggy enough to chaperone a bunch of children out and about the island.

Probably the thing he wanted to do the least was find out how adoption works. However, the staff was abuzz with the 'lovely' idea of ridding themselves of more than a few of their orphans. Sanji knew he was a new face, he'd been told again and again by a number of people, and new faces, according to everyone in the Line, were very quickly and very easily adopted off.

That, and that alone, was the reason for their summer plans.

Sanji hadn't come up with the idea, in fact, he'd been the last to know, but someone had decided that they would spend most of their time outside the possibility of being reached by the orphanage's staff. He didn't necessarily agree, but, if it's what his friends were doing, he would most certainly participate.

"Would you rather be taken away from this town? This island?" Nami had asked him. Luffy and Ussop had backed her up and Sanji ended up just shaking his head and listening to their ideas of where they would hang out for the majority of the summer. It had been hours ago, yet he was still thinking about it.

He was lying on his back on top of the blankets on his bed, staring at the underside of Zoro's mattress, although there was no Zoro up there. He was glad for that, since he just wanted to think, instead of embarking on incredibly awkward and weird coversations. And, he really had a lot to think about.

Firstly, he was worried. He was worried that he'd be separated from his friends, that one or more of their group would be taken to a strange place with strange people that may or may not give a rip about them. He was scared half out of his wits at the thought, so he didn't linger on it long. His mind kept tip-toeing back to it, but it only made Sanji sad.

Second, he was curious. He wouldn't tell his friends, probably ever, but he did wonder what it would be like to be adopted. By someone good, a young couple, maybe, people who would treat him like their own child. No one would be quite the same as his mother, but if anyone got close, he would be happy. He also thought he might feel guilty. Like he didn't deserve it. Whoever was above the clouds directing his life didn't think he deserved a happy family. The thought of what he would find in adopted parents made him nervous.

Sanji wouldn't make a whole third reason. There wasn't anything solid that could compare to his thoughts and fears about being adopted. He tried to think about school, about summer, about anything, but he had to wonder. What if's were overrunning his mind. He was sure he would be frowning in thought for the rest of eternity. It didn't feel good to be so focused. It made his face hurt.

Down the hall, Sanji could hear a knock at one of his neighbors' doors. Footsteps, voices, joy. Someone's going to be interrogated. Sanji got up and went to the door. It was open only a crack, only enough to see into the hall. He looked left, then right. A girl he didn't know was hugging her roommate, before skipping down the hall to the elevator.

Sanji returned to his bed and sat down. He didn't understand what was good about being taken away by strangers. He couldn't imagine it. On the other hand, he could think of quite a few reasons to never get adopted. Reasons to never trust anyone but himself with his own well-being. The more he thought about it, the more he agreed with his friends. They were definitely going to spend their summer hiding.

"What's with that face?"

Sanji looked up as Zoro was shutting the door behind himself. "What face?"

"That weird face. Oh, wait, that's your normal face." Zoro said with a smirk.

"Shut up." Sanji groaned, rolling his eyes. He and Zoro had started to insult each other to avoid weird 'hello's, but Sanji wasn't in the mood. He had been thinking before Zoro interrupted him, and that's what he wanted to continue doing.

The blonde flopped back onto his bed and stared boredly at the bottom of Zoro's mattress. The room was still for a second before Zoro started moving. "I had a meeting today." Zoro said, blandly. Sanji saw him shrug out of the corner of his eye.

"A meeting?" Sanji asked, frowning slightly. He thought that was what the oh-so-preppy staff called their little get-togethers with potential parents. They also said meetings were arranged between adult and child when the adult had specific things they were looking for in a child.

Zoro nodded. "Yep. I think I flunked."

"No kidding." Sanji said, thoughtfully. "What happened?"

"Nothing important." Zoro said, shrugging again.

Sanji sat up. "I mean, what did they ask you?"

"Why do you want to know?" Zoro asked, frowning.

"Never mind." Sanji rolled his eyes again and lay back down quickly.

Zoro was surprised. "Are you _mad_ at me?" He asked, accidentally dropping his bag and nearly tripping over it. No matter how much he knew he got on Sanji's nerves, that must have been a record. He'd at least want to know what he did, for future reference.

Sanji considered it for a minute. He wasn't really, he supposed, but Zoro could've been more helpful. Less annoying. For once. "No," Sanji sighed. "I guess not." He sat up and swung his legs off the edge of his bed and stood with the momentum. He left the room and tried to shut the door behind himself but Zoro caught it. "Where are you going?" Zoro asked.

"I don't know yet. Someplace quiet." Sanji said, heading for the stairs. Zoro followed him quietly, even though Sanji had no intention of inviting him. He wasn't going to tell him not to follow, because Zoro could just be going to visit with someone, or hangout in the yard, but it did bug him. Especially when he got halfway down the stairs and Zoro was still walking just behind him.

Sanji pushed open the door to the ground level and crossed the room quickly. There was a door at the back of the room beside the reception desk, a dark brown door with a stained-glass window, that led to the library. It wasn't much of a library since they only had a few bookshelves, but no one really hung out there, so it was quiet.

Short, square, wooden tables decorated the ugly maroon carpet. For seating, there were mostly grey, metal folding chairs, but in the middle of the room, in a large square of hardwood floor, there were two armchairs and a couch, all grey, and all facing inward. Sanji made a bee-line for one of the armchairs and curled up on the left side. On the left armrest was a stack of books, so Sanji just picked one up and started to read.

Zoro stared at him. Sanji was ignoring him. That was annoying. Zoro sat in the other armchair and crossed his arms over his chest. _Two can play at this game._..

They sat there for a while, Sanji reading, Zoro staring off into space at the carpet. He hadn't been sure why he followed Sanji down to the library. He still wasn't. But, he wasn't going to give up. That would be admiting defeat, and Zoro did not admit defeat to anyone. Even friends. He didn't much think of Sanji as a friend, but the idea was the same. Even if the person happened to look very troubled. Yeah. He wasn't giving up. Certainly not.

"What the hell is bothering you?" Zoro blurted. He covered his mouth a second later when Sanji looked up at him, wide-eyed. Could he blame that on someone else? He didn't think that would work so well, since he didn't see anyone else there and Sanji was looking right at him.

"What did you say?" Sanji asked slowly, incredulous. He'd never heard anyone his age ask him a question so rudely before.

"I-uuh, I mean... W-what's bothering you?" Zoro stuttered. Sanji was staring at him with innocent eyes. No doubt Zoro's usage of 'hell' affected him. Zoro remembered when he was younger and thought of it as a curse word.

Sanji pouted slightly. He stared at Zoro a moment longer before deciding he wouldn't respond. He turned back to his book and tried to read as if he weren't offended by Zoro. Of course he'd known Zoro for a little while, but the brash attitude gets old. He never knew what to expect when it came to his 'nakama's vocabulary.

Zoro was silent for another minute, probably thinking Sanji was just arranging his answer in his head before he said anything. Zoro quickly got annoyed with that. "If it was me, I'm... sss... ss..." Zoro grumbled.

"Are you serious?" Sanji asked, gawking. Zoro glared at him. "Well, no, not really, it wasn't you." The blonde shook his head.

"Then, what?" Zoro asked, annoyed. He couldn't believe he'd almost apologized. To _Sanji_.

Sanji blinked. "A lot... of things. I was just thinking, that's all. Don't hurt yourself."

"I wasn't- Damn, you're so-" Zoro jumped up from his seat, then paused, looking to Sanji who was wide-eyed again. "No ten-year-olds use words like that." Sanji said, giving Zoro a disapproving look. Zoro raised his hands in defense. "Didn't mean to, just-" He paused. "I don't have to explain myself to you!"

"Then, don't! Just don't talk to me like that." Sanji defended, narrowing his eyes at Zoro. Someone, somewhere, shooshed them harshly, causing the boys to jump. Slowly, their eyes locked again after searching the room for the invisible shoosher. Sanji stuck his tongue out at Zoro before turning back to his book.

Zoro face-palmed. "Okay, listen. It went like this; Makino came to get me, told me some couple wanted to see me. I went to talk to them, they asked me my name, what I like to do and I answered. I wanted to be myself, but they tell you to be on your best behavior, to charm the couple. They're really rooting for you, the staff. They want you to get adopted into a nice home. So, before they set you in the nicest room in the building, they try and get you excited for yourself, so you'll impress the couple and hopefully they'll pick you.

"I messed this one up on purpose, because everyone was all worked up about one of us getting adopted this year. I told them I liked making sculptures with dead bugs." Zoro finished with a huff. Sanji stared at him. "You really... make sculptures with bugs?"

"NO! No. I told them that so they wouldn't pick me, so I could hang out with you guys!" Zoro had to take a few deep breaths before he could say, "So, now you know what happened at the meeting."

"Yeah." Sanji said, nodding. He frowned, eyes looking from one side to the next in thought. "Was my face really _that_ weird?"

"Yes!"

"Okay! Thanks for telling me!"

"..."

"...And that other thing, too... thanks for that."

Zoro frowned. "What thing?" He asked, quiet and confused. Sanji raised his eyebrows at him. "You're... you're gonna make me say it, aren't you?" Sanji asked, narrowing his eyes again, and placing his book aside. Zoro made a face that was utterly and completely Zoro, a blank, 'I don't get it' face.

Sanji rolled his eyes. "Just," He sighed, "For messing up. For... wanting to stay and be friends... or, rivals or whatever the hell you said." Zoro's eyes bugged out of his head. Sanji shrugged. "Yeah, okay, don't have a cow."

Zoro stared for a minute. "You are such a retard, you know?"

"Gee, thanks." Sanji rolled his eyes again and slid off his chair. "I'm not getting anything accomplished here," Sanji grabbed the sleeve of Zoro's over-sized green T-shirt and pulled him towards the door. "Let's go see how Luffy's fort blueprint is going."

"O-kay, I can walk by myself, Dart-brow." Zoro said, batting Sanji's hand away. The blonde smirked back at him and took of running through the lobby and up the stairs. "Hey!" Zoro laughed and took the stairs two at a time to catch up. He sure as hell wasn't going to lose a race to that scrawny dart-brow.

When Zoro got up the third flight of stairs, the door had already swung shut. He pushed it open, a shout on his lips, but what he saw stopped him in his tracks. One of the volunteer staff was standing in front of Sanji, her hands on his shoulders, telling him something in a calm voice with a smile on her face. Sanji's back was to him, so Zoro couldn't tell what was going on. He stood in the doorway holding open the door with his shoulder, watching the exchange for a minute.

The woman left Sanji standing alone in the middle of the hallway and went to stand by the elevator. She smiled and waved at Zoro and he narrowed his eyes at her. Sanji turned to the side and stared right into Zoro's eyes, looking like a deer in the headlights.

"What? What's wrong?" Zoro asked, slightly taken aback by the look on Sanji's face. The blonde blinked once, twice, mouth moving without words. Zoro walked up to him, calm on the outside, but certain he was going to have a heart attack. "What. Happened?"

Sanji's eyes seemed to focus more fully and he blinked again. "I have a meeting. Three, actually. One tonight, and two tomorrow. So far, she said."

**So, here's the thing. I actually hadn't planned this chapter, this event, but it couldn't be helped. I don't know how the adoption thing works, so I'm really winging it. But, I really wanted to do something that would keep all the strawhats close together for the next few chapters, (a.k.a summer.).**

**I think I had some good SanjiZoro development there. Obviously, just friendly, God, they're little boys! But, I enjoyed writing, no matter how it was interpreted. Leave me a review if you enjoyed reading it!**


	9. Feeling

**Update for joooooooo~! This chapter is kind of random, I think, but the next will be better. This one, though... I like it. ^-^ Let me know what you think!**

**Enjoy!**

Sanji was led to a room he hadn't been in before, through a red door on one side of the ground floor. It smelled weird, like strangers' perfume. The hardwood floors were clean and sparkling and, had he been in a better mood, he may have taken off his shoes and slid across it in his socks.

There were fake potted plants every few feet through the hallway, between sets of sliding doors. Sanji was led by the volunteer woman to a door with a gold-painted '9' nailed to the door nearly at the top. She smiled and kneeled in front of him. "Are you excited?" She asked, pulling at one of his cheeks slightly. Sanji shook his head slowly and the woman laughed. "Well, you oughta be! These are nice people in here, waiting to see you. Apparently, they saw you out in the yard when they visited last time and were asking about you!" The woman paused, smiling wider in an attempt to get Sanji to smile. She had no such luck. "You've already made a good impression on these people. They really like you! Try to be polite, okay?" And with that, she stood up and opened the sliding door.

Sanji peeked around the edge of the door and blinked at what he saw. A young couple was sitting at a tall, square table, and one empty leather-cushioned chair was across from them. The dark-haired woman smiled when she saw Sanji looking at her and Sanji blushed. Why was she smiling at him?

The man noticed him also and waved. "Hey, there, little guy." He said. Sanji scrunched up his nose. _'Little guy'?_ He shrunk further behind the door and all three adults laughed. "Go on, Sanji-chan," The volunteer woman ushered him into the room, though he had planted his feet. "Say hello to the nice couple!"

Sanji bit his lip. He was _not_ going to say hello to the nice couple. The woman sitting at the table laughed and her eyes crinkled. Sanji didn't know what was funny, but she sounded like his mother when she had laughed. "Come now, don't be shy!" The woman cooed, reaching out a hand to Sanji. "My name is Nori. What's your name?"

"Sanji." He mumbled, looking between her and her husband. The couple exchanged a look and a grin before turning back to Sanji. "Why don't you sit down and talk with us? It won't take long, I promise." The man said, nodding.

The volunteer woman winked at Sanji and wished him luck before she left the room and shut the door behind her. Sanji gulped. Suddenly the room was feeling a lot warmer than it had as Sanji climbed up into the chair opposite Nori and her husband. He kept his head down slightly, looking at them through his eyelashes as he twiddled his thumbs under the table.

"So, what are some things that you like to do?"

* * *

><p>That damn door. Why wouldn't it open? He must have been waiting there forever. In fact, he was almost sure he had fossilized somewhere between getting back from Luffy's room and focusing his glare on the door. Surely interviews didn't take that long? Zoro knew his didn't. But, people liked Sanji.<p>

He better not got himself adopted.

Zoro thought, groaning internally. Nami would definitely blame him if Sanji got adopted so quickly. Zoro didn't know why, but Nami seemed to blame him for a lot of things. Since Sanji's been there, she's jumped on every opportunity to blame Zoro for something happening to the other boy. For the life of him, Zoro couldn't figure out why.

Suddenly, the door opened and closed quickly and the bed shook violently as a blonde blur jumped onto it. "She's so much like my mom!" Sanji announced quietly, excitedly as Zoro bolted upright. Sanji stood on his tip-toes on the edge of the bottom bunk and peered at Zoro over the rail around the top bunk. His eyes were wide and bright and he was smiling. Zoro frowned.

"What? The lady you had an interview with?" He asked, somewhat lighter than he had intended. Sanji giggled and hooked his elbows over the rail. "Yep! Well, she had short, brown hair and brown eyes, though my mom had yellow hair and blue eyes like me, but she smiles like my mom and she talks like my mom and she dresses like my mom and she-"

"Geez, I get it, shut up already!" Zoro said, pushing Sanji's head away from him. The blonde just laughed and ducked down to his own bed. "Her husband was a little weird and he had goofy-looking glasses, but he was nicer than my dad." Sanji said, calmly.

"How did it go then? You told them some weird stuff, right?" Zoro asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer, seeing how excited Sanji was about meeting them.

"Uhh... I can't remember."

"Yes, you can! Tell me!"

"Okay, okay, let me think!" Sanji paused. "They asked me what I like to do, and I said I like to play with my friends."

"And? Every kid likes to play with their friends!" Zoro leaned over the edge of his bed to frown at Sanji, who was lying on his back grinning up at Zoro.

"Yeah, I guess. But, it's what I said."

Zoro rolled his eyes and pushed himself back up to his bed. "Okay, then what?"

"Then... they asked if I liked to swim, because they have a swimming pool. I said yes."

"Of course you did." Zoro grumbled, smacking his own forehead with his hand. "And, after that?"

"They asked if I liked cats, because they have two, and I said yes, they asked about school and I told them I had okay grades." Sanji said, shrugging. "They asked about hobbies and stuff. It was a little weird. I think they thought I was boring."

Zoro sighed. "You better hope so! If you get adopted, Nami's going to fine me for it, and if she does that, I'm gonna punch you!" He stated, frowning. Sanji was quiet for a minute and Zoro wondered what he was doing. Then, Sanji asked; "What if I want to get adopted?"

Zoro leaned over the rail so fast the bed almost tipped over. "_What_ did you say?" Zoro hissed, glaring. Sanji bit his lip and frowned. "Ne'er min'." Sanji said around his lip. Zoro glared a minute longer before huffing and falling back onto his bed.

Sanji was confused. Would it be so wrong if he was happy? If he had a nice family? Of course he wanted to be near his friends, but he'd still go to the same school as them, and Nori said he could invite them over whenever he wanted. Was that wrong?

* * *

><p>Over the course of the next few days, Zoro didn't talk to him. The only way Sanji knew that Zoro was still talking to anyone at all was because somehow his other friends got it in their heads that Sanji was leaving them. No one else, apart from Zoro, that volunteer woman and the couple, knew how Sanji's interview had gone. No one else knew how much he already liked Nori because she reminded him of his mother. Zoro must have told them.<p>

Luffy and Ussop practically burst into tears every time they saw him and Nami clung to his arm like her life depended on it. It was amusing for a minute or two, but it got old fast. Nami hardly let him go to the bathroom without someone else watching him. And, the other boys offered to hang out with him and share their things with him so he'd change his mind about 'abandoning his friends'. It was rather hurtful.

No matter what he said or how much he said it, no one seemed to believe that he was staying. Of course, even he didn't know if he was getting adopted or not. The couples he'd met with were all nice, as far as he could tell, though none of them seemed particularly interested in Sanji. Honestly, he thought any of his friends had a better chance than him of getting adopted out.

Still, they all hung on his every word and stood closer than normal in case of an emergency hug. Sanji wasn't sure whether to be touched, or ticked off. He was leaning towards ticked off, though, since Zoro still wasn't talking to him. Or looking at him. Or, anything, really.

Sanji dropped his head in his hands and shook his head. Surely this would all be over soon? He just wanted to enjoy his summer, that was all. No. Drama.

"Sanji-kun, are you okay? Does your head hurt or something?" Nami asked, putting a hand on the side of his arm and leaning down as if she could see his face through his hands. Sanji dropped his hands and stared at her. "No, not really." He said quietly.

Nami smiled. "Good!" She chirped, nodding. "Now, are you coming with me or not?"

"Coming with you where?" Sanji asked curiously. No matter how much he thought his friends were being too over-the-top, he did kind of enjoy all their crazy 'adventures'.

The redhead shrugged. "Nowhere special. Just, our future clubhouse!" She said dramatically. Sanji laughed. "If this is like the last one, I'm not going!" He said, still laughing. Nami pretended to be offended, but she was smiling. "Hey, the tire dump wasn't that bad! Luffy and Ussop were proud of it."

They laughed as Nami led the way out into the yard and round to the side of the dirty brick building. The grass climbed further up their legs the closer they got to the back of the building. As far as Sanji knew, nobody went to the back of the building. There were hardly any windows with a view of the orphanage's back yard and the only one any of them knew about was in the laundry room, and it was boarded shut.

"Almost there!" Nami announced, grabbing Sanji's hand and pulling him around a thorny bush. The grass and weeds were almost up to Sanji's eyes and already over Nami's head, but she was still going. "Hey, Nami, there's a gate there. Can you even see anymore?" Sanji stooped down to Nami's level and squinted, trying to figure out where they were going when the yard dead-ended.

She ducked under a branch hanging low from a tree that grew up around the fence. "Just follow me!" Nami said, leading Sanji around a thin wall of bushes to the chicken wire fence. Sanji was about to say something, but Nami pushed on the wire and revealed a break. She turned to Sanji and grinned. The hole was a foot off the ground, three feet tall and only a few inches wide, but it was enough to fit through. "Brilliant." Sanji breathed, smiling against his will. He gestured towards the break in the fence. "Ladies first."

Nami smiled wider. "Thank you, Sanji-kun." She said with a curtsy, before stepping through the fence. On the other side, she held the fence open for Sanji to get through. The broken ends of the wires scratched his arm and leg a little, but Sanji didn't really notice. "How'd you find this place?" He asked.

"Luck." She said, winking. Sanji laughed.

A step away, there was a narrow path of bald spots in the grass that seemed endless to the left and right. "Which way?" Sanji asked, looking to the right, then the left. Just past the short cut grass and dirt patchy path, there was a wall of tall weeds. Beyond that, Sanji could see wrought iron gates and houses, but that didn't look like a place he wanted to go. Nami turned to the right and called, "Hey! Anybody here?"

Sanji gasped. "Don't do that! What if somebody hears you?" He whispered. Nami shook her head, smiling. "That's the point!" She laughed. Nami started walking down the path to the right, peeking around a bush every now and then.

"Nami?" A distant call. Sanji couldn't be sure, but it sounded like Ussop. "Yeah, Sanji's with me. Where are you?" Nami called back. "Oh, Sanji!" That was Luffy. "Come and see! It's really awesome!"

Sanji and Nami shared a look. "You're gonna like this, I think." Nami told him, nodding as she began walking towards wherever Ussop and Luffy were. Sanji could hear them talking and arguing. He was closer, but they were quiet, muffled, maybe.

It took a minute, but soon enough they came across a fork in the path where the tall weeds dropped off and the grass was cut evenly. One path went straight; the other was a sharp turn to the right. Nami took the sharp turn and gestured for Sanji to do the same. They followed that path for a while, as it slowly twisted back to the left and led them to a short square building with a blue roof.

Luffy was sitting out on the porch steps, holding his chin in one hand and scraping a stick through the dirt with the other. "Hey!" Sanji called, waving to get Luffy's attention. The straw hat snapped up and Luffy instantly grinned. "Took you guys long enough!" He shouted, jumping up and dashing towards them.

"Uh, sorry. Was there a reason to hurry?" Sanji asked, raising his eyebrows. Luffy laughed, hugging Sanji sideways as had become his default greeting for the blonde boy. "Hurry because we miss you alreadyyyyy~!" Luffy wailed, still laughing.

"I told you, already; I'm not going anywhere!" Sanji stated as Nami and Luffy dragged him towards the building. Above the door, there was a sideways sign that read 'The Shack', in chipped white paint. The door was hanging inward on one hinge, broken, paint chipped. Inside, Sanji could see a rug that was almost the same color as the stone floor, a simple wooden chair lying on its side, a bunch of dirt and debris in the floor.

Ussop came into view holding a short wooden broom. "Finally! Somebody else can sweep this place out!" Ussop sighed, tossing his broom and hopping across the floor to meet them just inside the doorway. "Notice anything different?" Ussop asked sticking out his chest and lifting his nose in the air with a smirk. Nami looked around the shack quickly, and then turned back to Ussop. "Nope."

Luffy laughed when Ussop's jaw dropped and the long nose called him and Nami mean. "You notice something, don't you Sanji?" Ussop asked, fingers folded together in a hopeful gesture. Sanji bit his lip, thinking really hard. Then he spotted something. "Ussop, what's with that bandana?"

For the second time, Ussop's jaw dropped. "That's not it! Though, thanks for noticing." Ussop said in quite a bipolar manner. Sanji snorted. "Okay, what, then? If it's something in this place, I've never been here before, so I can't guess."

"Oh, right." Ussop said, mildly. Then, he shrugged. "Okay, I'll tell you. We found that picture and that table out back and brought them in." Ussop said, gesturing to a clunky end table and a painted picture of a vase full of flowers. Nami and Luffy went 'oh' simultaneously, but Sanji was too distracted by the room to listen. Stone floors. White walls. An oppressive feeling in the air. The way the building smelled. All of it gave him a haunted feeling.

"So? Do you like this place Sanji? Isn't it perfect?" Luffy questioned, circling Sanji as he went around the room. "We can just sneak out whenever and get here really quickly! Maybe even before school! Or, we could sleep here, sometimes!"

Sanji bit his tongue. He didn't want to let everyone down just because he had a feeling about the place.

"Maybe all the time! There's another room back there and Zoro says it's a comfy place to sleep!" Luffy announced, laughing. "Zoro, huh?" Sanji mumbled. Luffy leaned closer to him. "What'd you say? Cool? Fun? It's an awesome clubhouse, isn't it?"

"Y... yeah. Yeah, it's cool. How did you find this place?" Sanji asked, his chest tight with the weight of a lie.

"Zoro found it! He got lost, ahaha!" Ussop laughed and Luffy joined him. Nami disappeared behind a black door, giggling. Sanji hadn't noticed that black door before, but it gave him a chill. The whole room reminded him of something he couldn't quite place.

Sanji shifted his weight from foot to foot. "I, uh, I have something to do, so..." Sanji started putting on his most innocent face. Luffy and Ussop were disappointed and they tried to walk him back to the orphanage, but Sanji apologized and refused. He left as quickly as he could without being too suspicious.

He told himself not to get too worked up, but he couldn't stop his feet from moving quicker and quicker until he was back through the fence and out of the tall grass. He could feel his lungs burning, his body shaking. He didn't know why, but he knew he was going to have nightmares that night.

**Hmmm... what could it be? xD Prepare yourselves. I have a plan, and I'm not afraid to use it.**

**What say you about the Zoro Sanji drama? Personally, I like it, but I don't prefer Zoro to be angry at Sanji. I'll have to fix that soon. It will be so much fun...**

**Ciao~**


	10. Remember?

**Here it is, new chapter! FINALLY reached double-digits. I am so excited for this story! I have some great plans that I have yet to set in motion, but I'm getting there. Anyways, for this chapter I got a little dream-happy and tried to make time pass easier that way, so... It might be a little weird. But, I really liked writing it, and it ran over my usual word-count by nearly a thousand words, so, yeah.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

><p><em>It was dark. That was normal, he knew. His world did not tend to be light.<em>

_He kept walking, though he couldn't see where he was going. He was scared, though._

_It was all so familiar? Where had he seen this before?_

_Sanji looked around. His toy ships appeared in a corner and he smiled. He hadn't seen those in so long. He sat down to play with them, reaching for his favorite red and yellow one, when a glass shattered against the wall above his head. The clear shards sprinkled over his arms and legs and face, causing a few small cuts._

_There was yelling, loud. He couldn't understand what it was saying. It sounded like a dark orchestra playing loud in his ears. The blackness turned to red. He stood up and backed away, from what he wasn't sure. His mind wasn't letting him connect the dots. The memory was a foggy mass of pain. He was so scared._

_Glass crunched beneath his feet and another bottle was thrown at him. He turned and ran, screaming for everything to stop, to leave him alone. Laughter. It was laughing at him. Then, tears. Why? He was the one being hurt, but the walls were leaking tears._

_Something grabbed his arm and yanked him towards the darkness. It hurt. His arm was black and blue in the spot he was grabbed. He was pushed against the wall, thrown through the air. Why was this happening? The blackness began to bleed away like rain washing a dirty window. It was white, all the walls were white. The door was black. The floor was stone. Cold. Painful. Why?_

* * *

><p>Sanji's eyes snapped open. He was panting, covered in a cold sweat and his muscles were completely stiff. A nightmare. <em>A nightmare<em>. Sanji sighed and put a hand over his heart. It was thudding a mile a minute, so quick, so heavy, he thought he could taste his own heart in the back of his throat.

After checking his arm in a panic and finding nothing wrong, Sanji just took deep breaths, trying to calm down. He was shaking violently, too hot, too cold, too scared, he climbed under the covers and pulled them up to his eyes. The room was pitch black and Sanji could swear he heard something. It must've been the middle of the night, no one should be wandering the hall, but he was sure there was something roaming around. That thought only made him that much more terrified.

"Z-Zoro?" Sanji whispered, his voice a wavering squeak. The only response he got was a heavy breath, like when Zoro was sleeping. "If you're awake, could you say something?" Sanji asked hopefully. No response. "Okay. Okay. Don't panic." Sanji chanted to himself as his eyes darted around the room. He was all by himself, in the darkness.

His lip began to quiver and his throat constricted. That cloudy memory, that bad dream, whatever they were really about, they were scaring him into a state of hysterics. He needed something else to think of, but there was nothing else in his mind. Only the mysterious pain, and the scary darkness.

Sanji wanted to jump out of bed and run to one of his friends' rooms in hopes that they would be awake and could distract him, but he was frozen in place. The only thing he could do was try to go back to sleep. Or else, stay up all night, but he was exhausted.

Before he knew it, tears were rolling over his nose bridge and down his cheek onto his pillow. He swallowed the whine at the back of his throat and rubbed away the tears. He couldn't cry. He just couldn't. If he started to cry, then he'd start to think of all the things that made him sad and he'd keep crying. Sanji wiped his eyes furiously with his blanket, but it wasn't working.

His throat was aching horribly with the effort to keep from crying and that made things worse. His nose began to run and he wiped it on any available cloth to keep from sniffing and making noise. He couldn't open his mouth or he'd make a sound and he couldn't breathe through his nose. Sanji sat up and wiped more tears away from his face, trying to avoid thinking about anything but stopping.

"What are you doing down there?"

Sanji sobbed once. He'd woken Zoro. Now Zoro was going to be even more mad at him. Sanji swallowed a few times and took deep, shaky breaths to try and clear his voice of any wavering. "J-just... can't sleep." Sanji said, quickly. He could hardly hear the tears in his own voice, Sanji thought. Zoro probably couldn't either.

Another minute passed of Sanji trying to calm himself down before Zoro said anything else. "The others told me you were at the clubhouse today." Zoro stated, quiet enough so that none of the kids in the neighboring rooms could hear them.

Sanji shivered at the thought of that place, taking more deep breaths. He made a sort of affirmation noise, not really sure if his voice could be trusted. Zoro mimicked the sound, then asked, "So, what did you think?"

Sanji paused. Zoro was talking to him. _Why now?_ "It was... c... cool, I guess. " Sanji answered hesitantly. He couldn't remember what he was giving his opinion on for the moment. He wiped the tears from his face again, this time with some success. He was still scared, still sad and very confused, and he couldn't decide which to fix first.

"Then, why did you leave before I got out of the other room?"

"You were in the other room?"

"Y-yeah. Sleeping."

"Oh. I guess that makes sense, now that I think about what everyone was saying."

Sanji laid down flat on his back and stared up at the egde of Zoro's bed, expecting him to lean over the bars like he'd done a few days ago. He didn't lean over the edge, but he did do something. Sanji heard him moving a little.

"Luffy told me you looked like you saw a ghost." Zoro said, somewhat questioning.

Sanji felt the lump in his throat rising again and quickly shook his head. "I just... didn't expect 'The Shack'." He said quietly, emphasizing the last part with a bit of sarcasm.

Zoro laughed, practically a giggle. "I think it's what grown-ups call a 'fixer-upper'."

Sanji laughed at that, and then they fell into silence. Zoro fidgeted for a little while before he settled again. It seemed that Sanji wasn't mad at him for completely ignoring the blonde's presence for nearly a week. That was good. He didn't know what he'd do if his sort of tantrum caused Sanji to not want to be friends anymore. If anybody did that to him, he probably wouldn't be friends with them.

But, he wasn't done not talking to Sanji yet. He wanted to see how long it took before Sanji promised to mess up his interviews and not get adopted. He had to. Sanji was part of their group, he couldn't just leave. Unless he was discharged or something, but Zoro didn't think that was even possible. Everyone liked him too much.

He could hear Sanji moving every now and again on the bottom bunk. He sounded restless. Zoro was a little worried. Sanji was usually a sound sleeper, not that Zoro had noticed, most nights he was asleep, too, but when he had been awake, he made note that Sanji talked in his sleep. Mostly all he said was 'stop that, Luffy' or 'what are you doing?', but he hadn't said anything when he was asleep earlier. Zoro hoped he hadn't had another nightmare. And that he wasn't crying, again.

"Hey." Zoro said, suddenly. He felt the bed jostle a little and figured he'd startled Sanji. "...What?" Sanji asked, his voice muffled. Zoro furrowed his eyebrows. "Are you crying?" He asked, accusatorily. He was sure that he'd scared him, so when Sanji didn't reply right away, he didn't rush him.

"No. Why?" Sanji asked slowly. Zoro wasn't sure whether to believe him or not. He sounded fine, if a little scared. "Just, uh..." Zoro paused to think of a credible reason he would ask anyone if they were crying the way he did. "'Cause, uh... crying is annoying! So, don't, um, cry."

"... Sorry to bother you." Sanji said sarcastically, quietly. Zoro face-palmed. Now, Sanji was offended. But, he'd already said it, he couldn't take it back and rethink speaking at all. Whatever. It worked well enough, so, at least he wouldn't cry. Hopefully.

* * *

><p><em>Everyone was running. Happy, laughing. Luffy was leading the way, followed by Zoro, Nami, Ussop, then Sanji was bringing up the rear. He knew he could easily outrun them, but he wasn't trying to catch up, just following. He didn't know where they were going, but it was fun.<em>

_The sky was orange and the wide path of flattened, dead grass was surrounded on either side by tall grass, way above his head. It was like a maze, he thought, and they were on the right path. Only, there weren't any turns. It was funny, at first, everyone was chattering and joking about a mystery maze with no turns, until it wasn't funny anymore._

_The tall grass shrunk away as they continued to run, his friends still having fun, but Sanji was scared. Something was happening that shouldn't be, and he realized he was dreaming. That didn't help quite as much as he though it would, because he was still running and he couldn't stop._

_Flowers sprouted up around him, followed by bright green grass, and the sky melted from orange to blue. Stepping stones manifested out of nothing and everyone was hopping along like it had been like that before. But, Sanji noticed. He was trying to wake up before something happened to his beautiful dream. He wanted to wake up, he really did, but something was changing again._

_In the distance, a house appeared. All at once, it was there. He recognized it before he even saw it clearly. The fading white paint on the metal sheeted structure, the brick flower beds and mailbox, the tall skinny trees shading the front windows to the house... It was his house._

* * *

><p>Sanji woke up slowly. He didn't want to open his eyes, but the image that had been so clear moments ago had faded to nothing more than a nagging feeling and a blur. That was the fifth dream in four days that led him to what felt like a memory. That time, somehow, the dream had extended itself until morning, and Sanji was relieved because of that. He didn't think he could stand another sleepless night.<p>

He stretched and sat up quietly. It was barely sunrise, but that was more sleep than he'd gotten in days. He'd had nothing but nightmares for four days straight, so, that was a nice change. It hadn't been a nightmare, true, but Sanji knew it would have been. He could feel the chill of an impending threat that he'd felt many times before, but he'd woken before it soured. Sanji smiled. Now, he was just left with a happy dream of his friends, albeit with a mismatched feeling to go along with it. He could ignore the feeling and just have his friends and his house.

The grey light of the early morning sun was welcoming. The temperature was below eighty degrees, and it looked to be windy outside, according to the ivy clinging to the building with all its strength. Sanji dressed quickly, careful not to wake Zoro, grabbed his bag and slipped out the door. Hardly anyone was awake, except the poor live-in staff who were tending to the infants and the cleaning. There was no one at the front desk, so Sanji could easily slip out the door and go loiter wherever he pleased. But, that wasn't his plan. Sanji wanted to go somewhere that his friends could find him, but not without searching first.

Sanji hid around a corner as one of the caretakers passed straight through the hall, and, as soon as the coast was clear, he darted for the back door. He'd only discovered that exit a couple of weeks before, and he didn't know exactly where it would lead, but he wanted a little time to be by himself. He needed to think, as he had been trying to do for four days.

The door opened outward with a protesting creak and Sanji stepped carefully down the three steep, concrete stairs. The metal guard rail was rusted beyond belief and Sanji paused a moment to just pity the thing. But, then he was out of there, walking over the rocky ground and towards the tall grass. His stomach was telling him that today was not the day to solve the mystery, but he had to know. He just had to know about that place.

Routinely, Sanji reminded himself of meetings he would have with people later on in the day, the closest one being at eight in the morning. He had about three hours, he thought. The others wouldn't be very happy with him, or overly clingy or whatever they decide to do. He'd deal with them when he came to it.

Sanji ducked into the tall grass and glanced over his shoulder. Most of the windows were boarded up, the others were hidden by closed blinds. So, nobody could see him. He really did have the best possible opportunity. There was no way he could back out, but he still felt uneasy.

He followed through roughly the same path Nami had showed him days ago and quickly made it to the fence. He had to walk along the chicken wire for a while before he found the break, but he didn't mind. It was stalling and stalling was good. Sanji tried to step through the opening without getting cut like he had the first and only time he'd gone through the fence before, but he had no such luck. A long scrape marked his left arm, though it didn't hurt much, so he kept going.

The grass was covered in morning dew and made an odd sound beneath Sanji's shoes as he walked through it. He looked around at the tall grass and the bushes, paranoid. It was just like one of his dreams. He couldn't be sure that he was truly awake, except that the only foreboding feeling he had was the one that told him he shouldn't be going to 'The Shack' willingly. But, it didn't stop him.

Sanji looked over his shoulder again as he came to the fork in the path. No one was anywhere to be seen. He couldn't even see that dog that sounded so riled up, or the rooster that may or may not have been drowning. Despite already having the shakes, Sanji continued towards his destination.

When he could finally see the short, decrepit building, Sanji frowned. He stood perfectly still, staring at the shack and trying to think. He'd seen it in his nightmares, but he remembered it from somewhere else. He knew he knew it. He didn't think it was supposed to have the faded green shudders on small cracked windows. He knew he'd seen it before, before he was there with his friends.

Sanji sat down on the grass and put his bag in his lap. He stared at the building for a minute, half expecting something bad to happen. When nothing happened, he slowly turned his eyes down to his bag and unzipped it. He looked over all his possessions, then back up at the building. He knew he'd seen it before. Why couldn't he remember?

A quick flash of a memory made Sanji frown in confusion. There was a car in the building. Supposed to be, anyway. There was supposed to be stuff stacked to the ceiling. A garage? He didn't know. It felt right, though. Well, that wasn't entirely truthful. It seemed right. It felt suffocating.

He could see his ships, and some old baby toys that his mother had given him. Why? Was it _his _garage? He didn't remember his house having a garage. So, where was it?

Sanji opened his eyes. He hadn't realized he'd closed them, but that didn't matter. What mattered was the mystery shack. Maybe he hadn't been there before? A similar place, maybe, but perhaps not there. Sanji sighed. If he was never there, then he shouldn't feel so horrible when he's near that place. So, why? He was so confused.

He looked down at his bag of memories and pulled out a hard-cover book whose title was long worn away. Sanji held it up and carelessly flipped open both covers so the pages splayed and an envelope fell out. It was perfectly creased, like it had never been opened.

Sanji placed the book back into his bag and held the envelope in both hands. He knew what was inside, he'd stared the envelope down many times before, but he'd never had the heart to open it. He couldn't see them again. Not so soon.

The sun rose up over the buildings in the distance and the birds began their annoyingly happy morning song. Sanji knew he should head back. He'd made more progress in that hour or so than he had in the past four days. But, he didn't know what to do. If he hung out with his friends, they would bring him to the place he feared blindly. Never mind the fact that he wasn't speaking to Zoro.

Sanji almost laughed. It was so ridiculous, it might have been funny. The tables had turned so quickly. Only, Zoro didn't notice Sanji wasn't talking to him, because he still wasn't talking to Sanji. It was a wreck, the blonde knew, but it was better like that. If Zoro thought he was annoying, then that was his own choice. Their other friends pointed it out to Sanji that he should just promise not to get adopted and everything would go away, but it wouldn't. Nothing would go away, until Sanji was happy with his life.

He replaced the envelope back within the pages of the book, put it in his bag and zipped the bag up. Sanji stood and stretched, his knees and back aching from sitting in the same position for so long. He noticed a sting in his left arm, but it was still okay. He didn't much mind little scrapes like that.

Sanji carefully pulled the strap of his bag over his shoulder, turned, and walked away from the building, back towards the orphanage. That ungodly rooster had stopped crowing for the moment and the angry, invisble dog had quieted some, so Sanji was left in relative silence, even though there were still bird songs filling the air.

He wasn't thinking clearly, he was so tired and out of it, but he got back to the fence all the same. He looked through the bushes and vines just in case, before climbing back through the fence and walking in the tall grass, slightly hunched. Sanji checked the windows again and still none of them were open, so he snuck back into the building and back up to his room in record time.

Zoro was apparently still asleep when Sanji entered the room, and that relieved him. He didn't want to be around Zoro, even when he was asleep, but awake Zoro was much worse. Sanji shoved his bag under the bed and kicked off his shoes. He didn't know if he wanted to chance sleeping, but he was really dragging.

"What happened to your arm?"

Sanji nearly jumped out of his skin at the loud question, and whirled around to see Zoro staring right back at him. "Don't do that! You scared me!" He scolded, for a second forgetting taht he wasn't talking to Zoro. The other boy had a strange look in his eyes as he launched himsef over the rail on his bed and landed slightly crouched on the floor.

Zoro walked up to Sanji quickly and yanked his arm outward, pointing to the six-inch bleeding cut on it. "What. Happened. To. Your. Arm." Zoro annunciated. Sanji flinched away from his voice and held his arm up to his face. The cut wasn't that bad, he knew. He'd seen worse cuts before, mostly on himself. It was nothing to him, not even worth a blink. "It isn't that bad." Sanji said, calmly, trying to balance out Zoro's apparent un-calmness.

Narrowing his eyes at Sanji, Zoro grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him from the room. Sanji was slightly scared by that situation, except that it was Zoro who was pulling him, not... the alternative. "Where are you taking me?" Sanji asked, trying to pull against Zoro to no avail.

"Stop that." Zoro ordered plainly, slamming his palm against the door to the bathroom and pushing it open. Zoro pulled Sanji to the sinks before the door even swung closed and turned on the hot water. He jerked Sanji's arm under the tap despite the blonde's protesting. His wrist was really hurting, bruised for sure, he thought, but he didn't say anything. Zoro was only trying to help. He remembered a nurse at the hospital, once, who was terribly unkind to her patients, but another nurse told him she was only trying to help without getting emotionally attached. Not that he knew what that meant.

Zoro finally let go of Sanji after another minute and Sanji nearly sighed with relief. He side-stepped closer to the dispenser full of pink hand soap and got a small palmfull. He washed his arm carefully, scrubbing away rust and dirt that he hadn't noticed before and rinsed it off again before looking up at Zoro. "Better?" Sanji asked, somewhat sarcastic.

"Kind of." Zoro replied, looking angry. Sanji didn't understand why Zoro would be angry. _Did I do something wrong already?_ Sanji wondered. Zoro had crossed his arms over his chest and taken up the most imposing stance possible for a ten-year-old.

"What?" Sanji asked, innocently. Zoro almost rolled his eyes.

"I asked what happened!"

"You're ignoring me, in case you've forgotten." Sanji informed, helpfully.

That time, Zoro did roll his eyes. "You're ignoring me, too, so, I call that even. Now, _what happened_?"

Sanji wanted to question Zoro's knowledge of his ignoring, but he really didn't want to hear 'what happened' in an even more agitated voice as a response, so he just conceded. "I scraped myself on the fence in the back. You know the one I'm talking about. It really isn't as bad as it looks, so stop getting angry." Sanji wasn't sure where that last bit came from, honestly, he didn't understand it, but he did want Zoro to stop getting angrier, and it worked well enough.

"Why were you going back there? It's negative three in the morning, it's too early for that!" Zoro was incredulous, and certainly not any calmer than he had been. "Besides, I thought you hated that place?"

"I do hate that place! But, I didn't know why, and I still don't!" Sanji shouted, then he faltered. "Wait, how did you know I hate that place? I haven't told anyone."

"It's obvious. You always have to do something when the others want to go to the clubhouse and you look horrified when they bring it up." Zoro stated, annoyed. "Now, why were you there? And, what do you_ mean_ you don't know _why_ you hate that place?"

Sanji leaned against the sink. He was getting tired of the questions. "Okay, listen closely, because, as dumb as you are, I don't think you'll get this the first time." Zoro glared at him, but kept his mouth shut. "When I went there the first time, I thought I'd been there before. I couldn't remember when, or what happened, but I knew that I knew that place. I still couldn't remember this morning, but I wanted to try and figure it out, so I went there."

"And?" Zoro prompted, still sounding annoyed.

"And, I got nothing. I don't know. I have it in my memories somewhere, I think it was a garage. But, it couldn't be the same place, because it's kind of different from what I see."

Zoro hummed, thinking. "I don't get it. You must be a mental case if you think you've seen that place before, but it wasn't that place, it was a differen't place." Zoro mocked, frowning tauntingly.

Sanji frowned, offended. He turned and marched away, not even trying to be quiet though it couldn't have been later than seven in the morning and most of the children in the building were taking full advantage of no school.

"Hey!" Zoro called behind him, but he didn't respond. He was really going to put a lot of effort into his 'ignoring Zoro' plan, after being called a mental case.

**Hahaha, my 'weird ending' streak continues! What will become of their friendship? O, the drama. Anyway, next chapter, I think I'll be doing Nami's birthday, but, I don't really know how... I'll figure it out somehow! It's going to be fun no matter what, so, please, review and tell me what you think! (... Did that even make sense?)**

**Ciao~**


	11. Friendship

**Late again, I know! I'm sorry! TuT I put my excuses on my profile if you even care, but, for now, here's the chapter, (Also, yays for 11 chapters so far!). Enjoy!**

"Sanji."

The blonde chewed on his sandwich absently.

"Sanji."

He swallowed and picked up a watermelon triangle, taking a large bite out of it.

"Sanjiiiii?"

His head was starting to hurt a little. He wasn't sure why, but it didn't really bother him.

"Sanji-kun?"

His eyes were so tired. He wanted to sleep. During lunch? Well, it was summer. He could sleep whenever he wanted.

"Sanji!"

So tired. He really wanted a nap. Maybe to just go to sleep and stay like that the rest of the day.

"Sanji-kun, your hair!" Someone pushed his head up and Sanji's eyes rolled a little before focusing on what was in front of him. "Huh?" He mumbled, looking around at his friends' faces. Ussop and Luffy were laughing at him, for what reason, he did not know, but Nami and Zoro looked curious. _What did I do?_

Nami huffed. "Sanji-kun, have you slept at all in the past _year_?" She asked, opening her eyes wide for emphasis. Sanji laughed. "Do I look that bad?"

"Yes." Everyone answered at once, and Sanji frowned. He mentally thanked them for their honesty, and outwardly sighed. "Hmm. Haven't slept." Sanji stated, taking another bite of watermelon and noticing, at the same time, that there was a watermelon seed hanging in his hair.

"Why not?" Luffy asked, his chipmunk cheeks full of whichever meat he'd decided was appropriate for lunch that day. "I sleep. And, Ace sleeps. He sleeps a lot, 'cause it's fun! Why don't you sleep?" His words were in quick succession and spoken through bits of his lunch.

Sanji frowned. "I didn't do it on purpose." He mumbled, pulling the crusts off his sandwich and nibbling at them. His friends all tried to get him to talk more, but Sanji was resigned to his lunch. He just wanted to eat, and then go sleep. Not to mention he didn't want to speak in front of Zoro. It felt like cheating on his 'ignore Zoro' plan.

A loud screeching bird cry pulled Sanji from his foggy mind, just enough for him to frown. He'd learned that during the summer all the residents were made to eat outside, as long as it was sunny. It was about something to do with air conditioner, but Sanji didn't really care. He wouldn't mind eating wherever, air conditioner or not, but being out in the yard on a blanket was not a preferable option.

It wasn't too hot, though, like it used to get in his old neighborhood. On his street, everyone would run their air conditioner from April until October. But, he didn't have any at his house, so he never really knew or cared about it. His mom would just tell him to open a window and enjoy the weather.

Sanji smiled faintly to himself. His mom was always so weird. 'How can I enjoy the weather if I'm melting?' he used to ask. She would always laugh and-

"Oh? What are you smiling about?" Nami asked, giggling as she nudged Sanji's arm. The blonde boy looked up from his sandwich at her and blinked. "W-what?" He asked, not fully aware of what he had been doing. He quickly took a bite of his lunch so he wouldn't be sitting there doing nothing under the stare of half his friends, (Zoro and Luffy were arguing about a battle between Vampires and Dinosaurs, but Ussop was following Nami's gaze).

The redhead rolled her eyes, still smiling. "You were smiling like this," Nami demonstrated a sleepy-looking, goofy smile. "So, what were you thinking about?"

Sanji tried to think of something not as weird as what he had been thinking of to tell Nami and Ussop, who was trying to eat an apple without his nose completely obstructing the process, but he couldn't come up with anything good, so, he just stuck with the truth. "I was just thinking about my, uh, mom. Stuff she used to say about enjoying the weather while it was good."

"Haha, sounds like my mom, too!" Ussop laughed. Sanji smiled. "Yeah. I think it's just a mom thing to say."

Nami hummed to herself. "No, I don't think so. Bellemere only said things like 'stop your whining and pick those mikans!'" Nami said, changing her voice a little to imitate what could only be guessed as her mother's voice. The boys gave her strange looks and Nami laughed. "Bellemere owns an orchard!" She elaborated. Sanji and Ussop both went 'ohhh'.

"Your mom sounds scary, Nami!" Ussop laughed, throwing his head back in amusement. Nami dropped her fist hard on the top of his head and that shut him up quick. "She is scary, but she's _my_ mom so _I'm_ the only one who can say so!" She scolded, smirking while Ussop rubbed the growing bump on his head.

"W-well, I think she sounds nice." Sanji said, stuck between laughing at Ussop and staring at Nami in disbelief. The redhead turned to him and smiled. "She's awesome, thank you for noticing." Nami bragged, sticking her tongue out at Ussop.

Ussop spent the next few minutes hiding partially behind Luffy and holding his head, whilst Nami carried on a completely uninterrupted conversation with Sanji. The blonde tried to avert the conversation from mothers, more specifically, Nami's mom, because she did sound scary. But, Nami was incredibly proud of her mom and her sister and she would not stop talking about them. Sanji supposed he should be glad that she was happy, but his ears were starting to hurt from all the talking. _Scary..._

It took upwards of an hour and a half before Sanji could get away from Nami, and only because she had an interview. But, as soon as she was out of sight, Sanji sighed. He could finaly take a nap. He didn't have any interviews or any other plans, so he was free to just sleep the day away. And, would that he could, but Zoro would be in there soon, he just knew it.

Zoro had been trying for days, however many that Sanji had been ignoring him, to get the blonde to talk to him. So far, he was unsuccessful. Sanji was still far too offended by Zoro's behavior to speak to him. He'd even gone so far as to not look at his roommate. Because, honestly, Zoro wasn't a very good friend. He insulted him, yelled at him, ignored him a lot, and even pushed him once. Sanji thought he should have started ignoring Zoro sooner, since the green-haired boy was trying his best to be friendly this whole time.

Almost the exact moment Sanji fell into bed, he was asleep. He had slept for what felt like only a moment, before he woke again, eyes opening only half-way. He wasn't sure exactly why he'd awoken, at first, as he blinked at the sight of the wall beside his bed. There were three little holes where push-pins used to be, all closed together. Sanji vaguely wondered what had been there, before he realized he had woken up and that there must have been a reason.

Sanji turned over, getting tangled up in his over-sized t-shirt in the process, and looked around the room. Zoro was sitting in the floor near the corner with his back turned to Sanji. It was strange, considering Zoro was never the kind of person to be so indirect; he would stare openly as long as Sanji wasn't staring back._ Wait, isn't that...?_

Sanji shot up so fast his head was spinning, but that didn't stop him from darting across the room and snatching his bag away from Zoro. He wanted to say something, to yell and be angry with volume, but he ended up just looking like a mean fish, opening his mouth only to close it again without sound. The zipper on his bag was wide open and he could tell things had been pushed aside, like Zoro had been digging through his bag.

Zoro frowned at him. "What? I was just looking!" He shouted, standing up and waving his arms trying to accentuate his innocence in the matter. Sanji so wanted to argue back, but words failed him. Besides, he was still ignoring that dumb Seaweed.

Sanji zipped his bag up quickly and paced back and forth a couple of times before he propelled himself from the room, all sleep forgotten. "What's wrong?" Zoro called after him, catching the door just before it slammed shut. He sounded angry, so, Sanji refused to answer, even if he had wanted to say something.

"Stop ignoring me!" Zoro shouted, following Sanji into the stairwell. He hadn't been that direct about his confrontations in a while. "I said stop ignoring me!"

Sanji didn't know where to go to get away from Zoro. He thought about visiting the nursery, because it was mostly quiet, and because one of the caretakers there wanted to take a look at his wrist. And, the caretakers and Zoro didn't like each other. That was definitely the place to be.

"Hey! I didn't even touch anything, so, you can't be mad at me!" Zoro yelled, his voice echoing painfully in the confined stairwell. "Hey! HEY!"

Sanji pushed open the door onto the ground level and Zoro immediately shut up. The woman at the front desk, a volunteer this time, looked up from her keyboard and smiled at them before turning back to the screen and talking cheerily into her headset. On the phone with a potential family, Sanji noted.

The red door that led to the rooms where interviews were held was right beside another door, a plain brown one, with a white sign hanging there that had alphabet blocks painted on, spelling the word 'nursery' in pink and blue letters. Sanji made a bee-line for that door and knocked on it softly. A moment later, a woman in nurses' scrubs opened the door. "Yes?" She asked, raising her eyebrows at Sanji.

"May I come in, please?" Sanji asked quietly, in a polite, if slightly out of breath, voice. The woman scrutinized him and then Zoro and sighed. "Alright, for just a bit, but it's almost nap time, so you better be calm and quiet." She said, stepping aside and allowing Sanji in. The second Sanji was clear of the door, still clutching his bag, the woman closed the door in Zoro's face. When she turned around to return to the basanettes, she smiled at Sanji, knowingly. He wasn't sure what she could really know, but he was grateful nonetheless.

On the other side of the door, Sanji could hear Zoro sigh. Footsteps, loud ones, for a while, and then they faded as he left. Sanji relaxed, sighing and pulling the bag straps over his shoulder. He spent the next hour or so, sitting in one of the white rocking chairs, occasionally having one of the nurses pass a baby off to him. It was strange, especially since his right wrist was sore, but he didn't complain. He liked babies and babies liked him. After that hour or so, however, the nurses told him he had to leave.

He wasn't exactly sure why they were suddenly so pushy, or even why they'd been so nice in the first place, but he still left without question. After all that time, he'd discovered something he needed to remedy; He wasn't actually mad at Zoro for digging in his bag. He remembered being upset earlier, but why? He didn't know. Zoro hadn't done anything yet. Except for, of course, the first thing, when he called Sanji a mental case for not being able to remember.

As Sanji trekked up the stairs to his room on the third floor, he wondered how he could possibly explain to Zoro that he wasn't angry about the bag thing without speaking. Because he still didn't want to speak to him. Not when he was so mean.

When he got to the door, Sanji adjusted his bag strap before reaching for the knob. But, it didn't turn. He frowned. Why didn't it turn? Was there even a lock on their door? It kept making making a weird 'tck' sound when Sanji tried to turn it. Clockwise, counter-clockwise, nothing worked. He was locked out.

Sanji knocked on the door timidly, afraid that Zoro must be angry. Angry Zoro was scary, almost like angry Nami. He wanted to ask if anybody was inside, but certainly he was. The door could only be locked from the inside, unless he had a key, but keys are reserved for staff. _Zoro actually locked me out?_

The blonde swallowed thickly, adjusted his bag strap and left down the hall.

Zoro groaned. That was not ho his plan was supposed to work out. It had been a ply to get Sanji to talk to him, but it seemed to have only made him more upset. That was bad. He looked like he would cry when he got upset. So, of course, Zoro had to do something drastic like apologize. He'd been trying to reserve something like an apology for a later date, but he really couldn't stand Sanji being upset at him. It was ridiculous and annoying and wrong and, why did he make him mad in the first place?

He stood up from his spot right in front of the door, turned the lock and left to go find Sanji. If he had to guess, he'd say that Sanji was in one of their friends' rooms. He did seem to like Nami a lot, and she didn't have a roommate, so she probably liked having him around. But, Sanji also liked Ussop since their backgrounds were so similar, and he made cool things in his room. Then again, Sanji also liked Luffy and Ace, because they were just all around fun to be with. Zoro didn't want to have to check everywhere, but he didn't have a choice.

When he got to Luffy and Ace's room, Luffy was asleep and Ace was talking on a phone with somebody. Zoro didn't bother to ask him if he'd seen Sanji. He seemed pretty engrossed in his conversation.

When he got to Ussop's room, he could barely open the door for all the stuff blocking the way, but it was enough for Ussop to tell him Sanji hadn't been there. The longnose had asked whether or not they were having another fight, but Zoro refused to answer.

When he got to Nami's room, she yelled at him for losing Sanji and for making him upset and told him to apologize, then slammed the door in his face.

Perfect. I 'lost' him... Where could he be?

Zoro thought, looking down each branch of the hallway as he passed it. The orphanage, he thought, was four stories high, not including the ground floor. That was a lot of space to cover. He could've left, or gone to an interview, maybe even gone back to the nursery.

Zoro was thinking so intently that when he looked up again, he was in an unrecognizable corridor of the orphanage. The walls were a dim green, the dull hardwood floorboards covered with a red floral carpet, and the ceiling was panelled. It must have been the sleep-in employees quarters, because he'd never seen it before.

"Hello?" Zoro called, lost, confused, and disconcerted by the silence. He turned around and went back they way he came, even though he couldn't really remember getting there. It was almost dark outside before Zoro found his way back to the third floor. He hadn't seen Sanji anywh-

"You!" Zoro accused, walking swiftly up to the blonde boy, standing like a deer caught in the headlights with the door half open. Zoro noiced Sanji's right hand as he came up to him and frowned. Sanji blinked at him a few times, scared and confused.

Zoro cleared his throat. "I.. am-" He paused, watching Sanji's blue eyes get a little wider. "Sorry." The word was stretched a bit, but it had the desired effect. Sanji's mouth dropped open a little and his eyes bugged wide open. Zoro took those as good signs.

Sanji was still holding his bag the same way he had been earlier, protective and nervous like. He swallowed noticeably and Zoro thought for a second that Sanji wasn't going to forgive him. "I'm sorry about calling you a mental case and h-hurting your... you. Just, sorry!" Zoro ended on a frustrated shout, flinging his arms because, damn it, Roronoa Zoro didn't apologize. But, he _was_ sorry and that's what got him. Especially when he saw that awful purple and green bruise around Sanji's wrist.

"Okay." Sanji whispered, still standing there holding the door.

Zoro knew he must look surprised. He felt like his jaw was touching the floor and his eyebrows had merged with his hairline. "You- you... forgive me?"

"I guess." Sanji said, his eyes rolling away from Zoro. He looked tired, Zoro noted.

Zoro tried to come up with something else to say, but all that was important was already said. "Wait, you guess?" Zoro said, back-tracking.

"Yeah. _I guess_." Sanji answered, stepping inside the room and heading straight for the lamp on the dresser. Zoro followed him and started to say something when Sanji sighed. "I don't know if I do or not, yet, so can you ask me again tomorrow?"

The light clicked on and Sanji turned to face Zoro. He held up his wrist in front of his face and Zoro cringed. "It's okay." Sanji stated, simply. Zoro would've argued, but he figured that he was already being forgiven, so he shouldn't mess it up.

"I didn't mean to..." Zoro grumbled in something of a regretful tone. "I believe you." Sanji said, comforting although he was the one that was hurt. Zoro didn't know what to say. He'd fixed it, Sanji was talking to him. Shouldn't he be talking more, though? Zoro couldn't figure out why he was so incredibly concerned about being on the good side of one very annoying blonde boy, but he was and it was driving him crazy.

The two boys tip-toed around each other for the next few hours leading up to bed time, but when there was a mattress between them, the stress levels went down some. Zoro wasn't sure about any of it, the whole ignoring and then acknowledging and apologizing and forgiving thing. It was confusing. At one point, he'd thought about just crashing in someone else's room for the night, or even requesting to switch roommates. But, he hadn't. Not when things were getting better. Not when Sanji had forgiven him enough to say 'goodnight'.

**So, a little slow. I liked doing the sort of dramatic/friendship thing. It was fun, and I have quite a few nice ideas to put in here! One I think will be particularly amusing to write, that I picked up from watching, or rather, listening, to my four brothers. Anyway, can't wait to do that!**

**Tell me what you think of the chapter or the story as a whole, in a PM or a review, the choice is yours!**

**Ciao~**


	12. Different, Same

**Hi, you lovely reader you! I got a new chapter up, just for you! xDDD lolz, I would've had this up sooner, but I had to work. Well, whatever, it's not too late! Enjoy!**

Zoro nearly rolled his eyes. It was so boring, sitting in that room. He didn't want to be there, but it just happened like that sometimes. The staff rounded up all the boys from ages ten to fifteen in one big waiting room and told them to play nicely while people came through to see them. Pointless, he knew, because no one wanted to see him. All the grown-ups, and kids for that matter, thought his hair was strange and that he must be messed up.

He sat with his back in a corner, pretending to be asleep. The staff didn't like that, but what did he care? They were rude and he didn't want to get adopted. So, he continued his little charade until he actually did fall asleep. It wasn't very fun or exciting to be put on display with a bunch of other kids, anyway.

When Zoro woke up, Makino was there putting a bunch of blocks into a large bin labeled accordingly. "-did horribly. Believe it or not, people do like you all." She was whispering, apparently to herself. Zoro thought about saying something so she knew he could hear her, but then she'd probably scold him directly about falling asleep when he was supposed to be making an impression on potential adopters.

So, he sat still for another ten minutes listening to Makino talk to herself while she finished putting away all the toys that were left out.

After Makino left, Zoro got up and stretched. He looked around for a clock, but there wasn't one in that room. If he was going on daylight, he'd say it was almost lunch time. Which was good. Sleeping so much sure did work up an appetite. Zoro yawned, a long, slow and lazy sound, before opening one of the four different doors and heading off to find his friends.

It didn't take long; all he had to do was follow the noise. Luffy and Ussop were causing a raucous in the lobby, running around calling the big kids names. A group of older kids were chasing them, as well as a few of the staff members. But, the older kids were bulkier and the staff was mostly women and Luffy and Ussop always ran like their lives depended on it, so the commotion didn't show any signs of ending.

Zoro stood in the doorway for a while just watching and laughing. Man, those two were idiots. Zoro thought Nami would have stopped them before anything got that bad, but, maybe she didn't care. She always mediated their whole group's activities, including bailing Luffy and Zoro out of fights. He was a little confused as to why she wasn't helping Luffy and Ussop, (Who looked like he might pee his pants with fear), when they were making such a racket.

"Zoro!" Luffy greeted in passing, still running around through the lobby. All the possible entryways into the lobby were clogged by children laughing and yelling at the scene, Zoro noticed. "How'd you get into this?" Zoro asked when Luffy circled back around again. He noticed then that Luffy wasn't grinning.

"Something happened and-" Where Luffy stopped, Ussop picked up; "They were picking on-" Zoro had to wait until Luffy came back around to hear the rest; "-on Sanji!"

"What?" Zoro yelled. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah, they just-" Ussop.

"-calling him names, and-" Luffy.

Zoro was getting tired of this 'round-in-circles explanation, but he remained as patient as he could.

"He said we shouldn't-" Ussop.

"-do anything, cause he-" Luffy.

"-didn't care what they said!" Ussop.

"Where is Sanji?" Luffy asked, jumping over one of the chairs and darting into the stairwell and out of sight, quickly followed by several older kids, while Ussop ran wailing in another direction, followed by the rest of the angry children. The small staff group remaining were completely winded and barely standing. Zoro would've laughed if he wasn't already on his way up the stairs after Luffy.

Zoro saw the last of Luffy's pursuers exiting onto the second floor, probably headed to Luffy's room, where Ace would most likely be. Zoro passed the second floor exit and went up to the third floor. He slammed the door wide open and ran through the halls to their room. The door was open just a crack and, for whatever reason, that made Zoro slow. He got up to the crack in the door and listened intently to the quiet words being exchanged inside the room.

"You sure?" Nami? Why would he let her in my room!

"Yeah." Sanji sounded okay. "Honestly, at my old school I heard a lot worse than that."

"What? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Ow... Nami, why'd you do that?"

"Because, you're being stupid again!"

"What do you mean?" Sanji sounded so innocent. Almost hurt, if Zoro was hearing correctly.

Nami huffed, exasperatedly. "I'm your friend. We're all your friends. You can tell us anything." Nami said, seriously. Zoro was nodding by that point. He wasn't entirely sure why he was agreeing with the little witch of all people, but he was.

"Okay. So, you just want me to tell you stuff?" Sanji asked. He was so clueless, Zoro thought.

"No! Not just stuff! Anything! Everything! Tell me what you were made fun of about."

Zoro leaned a little closer to the crack in the door, just hoping they wouldn't see him before he meant for them to. He could see Sanji and Nami sitting in the floor facing each other, Nami looking strict and Sanji fidgeting.

"... My eyebrows." Sanji mumbled, looking away from the reaction he knew Nami would have.

The redhead burst out laughing. "For real? Everyone makes fun of your eyebrows! You shouldn't get upset about that!" Nami said, wrapping her arms around herself to hold in whatever she thought might come loose from laughing so hard.

"Yeah, but..." Sanji took a breath. He looked like he was going to say something, but Nami wasn't paying attention. After a second, he just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "I just don't like it, okay? And, kids at my old school had a lot of words that they knew that are mean." Sanji said.

Zoro thought he was going to say something different by the look on his face. Stupid Nami. Laughing so hard that he reconsidered saying something that Zoro actually wanted to hear about. It looked important, too. Zoro stood up straight and made a point of pacing back a few steps, and then walking briskly into the room as if he hadn't just been listening at the door.

Sanji and Nami looked up at him and he felt waves of awkwardness crash right in his face. "U-um... I, uh- I just, er, downstairs, um..." He stuttered horribly, looking between Sanji's curious face and Nami's annoyed one. "Never mind." Zoro concluded quickly. He mentally slapped himself for the way his voice sounded; high and nervous. He stood there for a bit, watching Sanji just stare at him. He wanted to ask him about what happened, but not when Nami was sitting there watching him and nodding with that weird expression of hers.

"I-I-I'm gonna go find Luffy!" He announced, turning on his heel and leaving the room as quickly as he'd entered it. A few steps down the hall, he stopped and listened. "That was weird." Sanji commented. Zoro could practically hear him suppressing a giggle. "It really wasn't. Anyway, I probably gotta go help him find those two dumbbells." Nami said.

As fast as he could without making a ton of noise, Zoro booked it down the hall and into the elevator. He pressed the 'close door' button rapidly until the dulled metal doors finally inched shut. He thought he must have cracked the button, but he didn't care. Nobody could say for sure that it was him, anyway. Zoro pressed the 'L' button for lobby with a little less urgency. Even though he'd seen Luffy, (Or at least Luffy's pursuers get off on the second floor), he figured they'd be coming back down soon, since Luffy thought it was fun to be chased. Besides, the lobby was the farthest place from Nami and that look of hers.

* * *

><p>Zoro wasn't anywhere. Sanji had been looking for him, both directly and indirectly for a few hours already and he hadn't seen him. He wasn't terribly bothered by it; Zoro went off on his own a lot. According to the others, he was always getting lost in that time, but Sanji didn't know. He hadn't ever found him when he'd gone off unless accidentally bumping into him counted. But, he didn't think it did.<p>

Sanji looked around again at yet another room in the seemingly-endless orphanage. He was surprised at how large the place was and how many rooms he'd actually never seen. He really wouldn't be surprised if Zoro had gotten lost in the orphanage. It was astoundingly huge.

The sun was starting to set, so Sanji decided he should just let it be. Zoro always made it back in time to sleep, anyway. He was good at that.

As Sanji made his way back up to the third floor, he began to think about his eventful day. Well, not terribly eventful, it wasn't as if he didn't get regularly teased at his old school or otherwise, but, still. He had just been walking through the hall, coming from a meeting with a nice couple, though he wasn't sure why they were both women. He was puzzling over it, minding his own business, not even talking. They just decided he was annoying, he guessed.

_"Hey, you with the eyebrows!"_

_Sanji looked up, without even thinking about it. He did have eyebrows, after all. Perhaps they meant something more insulting by 'you with the eyebrows', but he didn't much care. "Um, are you talking to me?" Sanji asked, weakly. He didn't want them to be, but of course they were._

_The older kids, (They looked like sixth graders to Sanji), laughed at him. "He actually answered to that!" One of them barked. Sanji was confused as he looked around the hallway. Other than the older kids, he was the only one there._

_"What the hell happened to your face!" Another in their group shouted, laughing. Where was Makino with a rolled up newspaper when you needed her?_

_Sanji stood up a bit straighter. "What do you mean?" He asked boldly. That only made them laugh more. "Stupider than he looks!" The first one was laughing as he said that. Sanji counted how many were in the group, even seeing a few girls, and came up with nine. Nine was a lot._

_Not sure why he was saying it, Sanji said, "I don't think 'stupider' is a word."_

_Instantly, they all stopped laughing. A few of the ones behind the first two went 'ooh', as if Sanji was in trouble. The blonde took a half-step back. Stupider wasn't a word, his mom had told him that. So, what was wrong?_

_"Well, smartass," 'One' said, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning. "You ever been beat up for that damn mouth of yours?"_

_Sanji nodded, plainly. He wasn't sure why he would even answer that guy, but he couldn't stop himself. He had been beaten for saying something he shouldn't have before. Once, a girl even hit him with her ponytail because he said it looked weird. It did. But, why would he say that to them? He wasn't that brave._

_'One' shoved Sanji by the shoulder, causing him to stagger back a couple of steps. By that point, Sanji knew it was serious. How did he always get himself into such trouble?_

_"God, those are some freaky eyebrows!" One of the girls in the middle of the group said to her friend and they began to laugh. The laughter quickly found its way to the rest of the group and Sanji was stuck there in the constricting, echoing hallway with a noisy clog._

_"Ya know," The other girl said, quietly, "If it weren't for those weird brows I'd say he's a girl." And that brought on another barrage of laughter and insults. Sanji didn't really care. He'd heard it all before. Still, the imposing shadow cast by a group of sixth-graders was a little scary._

_"Yeah! Looks like a little mama's boy!" One of them said._

_"Haha, wouldn't be surprised!" Another one._

_"Well, his mommy abandoned him here, so I guess she didn't feel the same!"_

_Sanji wondered if they had multiplied. They must have. How else could there really be that many people in that tiny space, all yelling at him? He wanted to find a way to get around them, to get past the massive annoyance before him, but it was too much. He couldn't see clearly, it was all shaded and evil and what gave them the right to say that about his mother?_

_"She didn't abandon me." Sanji hissed. They couldn't hear him, they were laughing too loud._

_Suddenly, they all ceased making noise. Sanji looked up, wearing a deep frown he hadn't realized he was wearing until just then. He hadn't heard whatever they'd heard that made them all turn around. He couldn't even see past them._

_"Oh, Sanji. Is that you?"_

_"Uh... yeah. Luffy?" Sanji tried to look past the group that was blocking his way, but he didn't need to see to know it was Luffy. Surprisingly, the group cleared some and allowed him to see Luffy, Ussop and Nami, all standing at the other end of the hall. "What are you guys doing here?"_

_"We were looking for you!" Nami announced, loud in the confined hallway. Ussop and Luffy agreed, though a little quieter than Nami. "You had an interview?" Ussop asked._

_Sanji nodded, paying a small amount of attention to the unwelcome on-lookers. "It went well, I guess. Don't think they like me too much."_

_Luffy grinned. "Good! C'mon, let's go play!"_

_"Wait, wait, wait, wait! What makes you think you can just ignore us and go on with your pathetic lives?" One of the older boys shouted, causing Sanji's ears to ring a bit. The others in the group of older kids concurred and once again, the hallway was filled with obnoxious noise._

_Nami and Ussop were about to retort, Sanji could see, though probably with completely different remarks, but Luffy silenced them with a laugh. The straw hat he wore nearly fell off his head from the sheer amusement in the action. "It's like they think they're grown-ups! How stupid!" Luffy laughed, as if the people he commented on were not in the same area as him._

_"Did you hear that? He just called us stupid!" One of the girls shrieked, her voice reminding Sanji of an old parakeet he heard once._

Everything went downhill from there. Nami walked with him to his room, after Luffy and Ussop started to really tick off those other kids. Sanji had been so proud. His friends stood up for him. But, at the same time, he was disappointed. He hadn't been able to stand up for himself, thus needing the help of his friends, whom, to his knowledge, were all slightly younger than him. Sanji felt slightly pathetic as he recounted the scene.

Still, he was glad he could count on his friends. He couldn't picture himself ever getting over being so easily intimidated. Unless, he got to be seven foot nine, three-hundred-eighty pounds. But, he knew that probably wouldn't happen. Sanji sighed. He was going to either have a very bad life, or a very short life, he thought. But, he was okay with that, as long as he got to spend that time with his friends.

Not paying attention to where he was going, Sanji's shoe caught on something and the floor rushed up to meet him. Sanji turned his head just in time not to completely smash his nose in, but he felt the brunt of the impact on his right cheek.

"Oww..." Sanji groaned, pulling his knees up and pushing himself up with his hand so he was sitting on his legs in the floor. He kept his head down for a minute while it spun and his cheek throbbed. Behind him, Sanji could hear something. He couldn't figure out what the sound was since all he could hear was the pulsing in his head that originated from his cheek.

"Hm? What're you doing in the floor?"

Sanji took a second before he looked over his shoulder, puzzled. "Huh?" He frowned, holding his cheek with one hand and keeping himself steady to the ground with the other. "Zo... ro? What are you doing in the floor?"

The green-haired boy yawned, stretching his arms wide. "I was just, uh... sitting here. Y-yeah. You didn't see me?"

Sanji shook his head. "No. I tripped. Over you, I think." Sanji answered, truthfully. He glanced down at Zoro's legs stretched out in front of him and nodded to himself. Definitely tripped over Zoro.

Zoro made an odd sound and seemed to notice all of the sudden that Sanji was hurt. "Your face okay? Other than the eyebrow thing."

Sanji narrowed his eyes. "I've heard enough about my eyebrows today, thanks." He sneered, turning his head back to face forward and rubbing his cheek. He could feel the blunt beginnings of a bruise on his face and breathed deeply at the thought. It had been a while since he'd last had a bruise on his face. People always asked about those things. At least he could truthfully say he tripped.

"Oi! Don't get mad!" Zoro said, practically an order.

"I'm not mad." Sanji said, standing up although he was a bit dizzy. Zoro snorted, standing as well. "Of course you're not!" He rolled his eyes, using the most sarcasm Sanji had ever heard him use. The blonde turned around and gave Zoro a serious look. "I'm not. I'm not mad at you about anything right now. I just don't want to hear about what makes me weird, okay?"

Zoro gaped slightly at the calm tone Sanji was using. "Uh... Okay. Sure." Zoro said, nodding dumbly. He didn't understand exactly what was going on. Sanji had asked rather politely, (Though he was always polite, Zoro never really saw it until then), for Zoro not to say anything about what makes Sanji weird, and Zoro had agreed. Right? That's what happened, isn't it? Zoro didn't think it was something he would do. So, why?

They walked through the halls, Sanji trying to figure out where they were in the building, Zoro trying to figure out why he wasn't acting like himself. He didn't understand any of it. But, he remembered acting like that with all his friends the moment he decided they were his friends. So, Sanji was his friend? Well, he could've guessed that. 'Nakama' aren't a far cry from 'friends'. Still, why did it surprise him so much every time it happened?

Zoro frowned. He shouldn't be thinking about it so hard, but he was. He couldn't remember doing that before, the thinking thing. It just happened. So, what the hell was different?

"Oh, Zoro. I meant to ask you about earlier." Sanji said, startling Zoro out of his thoughts. "W-what about earlier? I don't know what you mean." Zoro said quickly. Sanji frowned at him, looking confused, but continued without too much of a pause. "When you burst into the room while I was talking with Nami. It was just kind of weird. If you don't have an explanation, that's fine." Sanji said, still incredibly calm.

Zoro didn't know how Sanji could be so mellow. He, himself, wasn't mellow. Not most of the time, anyway. Wait, what did he mean about earlier? Zoro couldn't remember doing anything weird. Was it weird that he interrupted their conversation? Maybe that was it.

"Uh, yeah. Didn't mean to interrupt you guys." Zoro said, scratching the back of his head and keeping his eyes away from Sanji so it didn't look too much like an apology.

"That's not... Never mind. I don't care." Sanji said, rolling his eyes. He had already figured he wouldn't get an answer out of Zoro, because sometimes Zoro did things that he couldn't explain. It was weird, but he already expected that.

Zoro didn't know what he did wrong. Sanji sounded a little upset. But, Zoro couldn't really do anything. He didn't know what he did to make Sanji upset, or if it was him, or if he should apologize. So, he didn't. He didn't apologize, or even say anything at all because it seemed like, every time he spoke, Sanji got upset.

Then, it hit him.

Earlier, when he'd been listening in on Nami and Sanji's conversation, he'd heard things that gave him several questions, the most important one being; 'Are you okay?'

But, before he could say anything, they arrived on the second floor, in Ussop's room where everyone was hanging out. He couldn't say anything, now, he decided.

**Oh-oh? Here we have a bit of a dilemma. Zoro's so awkward. Ufufufu, it's too cute! I love writing the ZoroSanji drama/interactions, but I feel like I've left the others out too much. xP So, I'm going to probably do a chapter from Luffy's or Ussop's point of view. Maybe Nami's. I'd really like to do Ussop's or Nami's, because I love them. But, I love all of them. I can't decide! HELP MEEEE!**

**Ciao~**


	13. Better

**Hi there! On-time, maybe even a little early. I've had a couple of requests for Nami's p.o.v., but, since I'm going to do a chapter for her birthday in the next two weeks, I thought I should make this a boy's chapter. Sorry if you're disappointed. I don't really know if this chapter is any good, I mean, I like it, but... Well, this story is my baby! xD**

**Anyways, enjoy!**

"Sanji-kun, has anyone ever told you you're a magnet for injury?" Makino asked, inspecting the bruise on his face for what good that would do. Luffy, who was sitting on the stool beside him, laughed. Sanji, on the other hand, didn't find it very funny at all. "It's fine. My mom always said I was kind of clumsy." Sanji responded, turning his head at Makino's request.

Makino laughed quietly. "So, how did this one happen?" She asked, wiping over the bruise with disinfectant. At that point, Luffy decided to give his two-cents worth, "He tripped on Zoro!" Luffy chirped, grinning because that explanation was cause for much amusement. The day before, when Sanji and Zoro had gotten to Ussop's room and he had told everyone why his cheek was red, they had all laughed.

But, Sanji didn't mind. He laughed too, a little bit, because it was just that ridiculous.

"Ah. Well, we'll have no more of that." Makino said in a tone Sanji couldn't describe. She glanced up from looking at his wrist and smiled. "This was Roronoa-kun, too, right?" Her voice was gentle, but Sanji knew better. He looked at Luffy out of the corner of his eye before holding his head up higher and answering, "Yeah, we were playing."

Luffy hummed. He wasn't sure about that story, but it's what Zoro and Sanji were telling people when asked about Sanji's bruised wrist. Luffy didn't know if he believed the 'playing' part, but his friends got along fine with each other and Sanji said he was okay, so Luffy didn't ask too much about it.

Makino seemed to be lost in thought for a minute, before she shook her head and smiled again. "Well, it's looking much better. I'm sure it'll be gone without a trace in a few days."

Sanji smiled and nodded. He already knew that, but he wasn't going to say it out loud. He slid off the tall barstool he'd been sitting on and landed with a quiet tap of his shoes against the floor. "Thank you." Sanji said politely. Luffy followed suit and the two of them left quickly to go rejoin their friends.

First thing in the morning, Nami had suggested that Sanji get his face looked at in case he'd, in her words, 'hurt his brain'. Zoro had offered rather awkwardly to go with him, though he didn't use those words exactly. But, Luffy announced that he was going with Sanji, because he wanted to be sure his Nakama wasn't hurt. Even if Sanji had wanted to go alone, he couldn't have convinced Luffy not to come.

"Ne, Sanji?"

"What?"

"It was an accident, right?"

Sanji paused, turning around to look at Luffy. He raised an eyebrow at his friend, laughing confusedly. "What? I don't understand what you mean."

Luffy gave him a serious look, one he didn't wear often except when speaking of completely un-serious things. Somehow, Sanji could figure his meaning through that look. The blonde rolled his eyes. "Of course it was an accident. And, if it was anyone's fault, it was mine." Sanji said, thinking he'd stop there until more words just slipped out. "Do you really think he'd hurt me?"

"Nah. Just asking." Luffy said, his normal, cheerful self. Sanji made a skeptical sound as Luffy passed him and began practically skipping towards the dining room. Why he ever felt the need to inquire on that subject, Sanji may never know. But, he seemed to believe him.

They walked to the dining room with little to no substantial conversation, Luffy sporadically humming a strange tune Sanji could swear he'd heard before. It was kind of annoying, though, because he seemed to only know ten seconds of the song that he repeated again and again. So, Sanji was glad when they finally reached the noisy dining hall and Luffy was mostly drowned out.

Once they'd gotten their food and flagged down their friends' table, Luffy looked to Sanji as if to say something. It took him another second before he finally said, "Um... Me and Ussop are going to the clubhouse today. Are you gonna come?" Luffy asked. He was smiling, but Sanji thought something was different. He couldn't tell what it was before he'd been staring too long.

Sanji snapped out of his thoughts and looked to his friends' table, where Nami was waving to him while Ussop and Zoro argued over something. "Um... Yeah, okay." Sanji agreed quietly. Luffy grinned ear-to-ear and pushed Sanji with his shoulder. Before the blonde could say or do anything else, Luffy took off to the table, barely keeping his food balanced on his plate.

* * *

><p>"You have to hurry!"<p>

"Why?"

"Because!"

"Because why? It's not going anywhere!"

"Just hurry!"

Luffy practically jumped through the hole in the fence and jogged in place for a second or two, letting Sanji and Ussop catch up. He could only stand to wait until Sanji was through and helping Ussop through before he took off down the path. "That's the wrong way, Luffy!" Ussop called as he tried to untangle his hair from the fence. A second later, Luffy came clopping back past them, that time in the right direction.

The straw hat was far out of sight when Ussop finally stumbled onto the dirt path, freed from the fence. Sanji laughed watching Ussop fix his hair and overalls before standing up straight and walking quickly down the path towards the clubhouse.

"Hurry uuuuuup!" Luffy called, his shout echoing around them for another minute before fading into the breeze. Sanji shook his head. "So, why is he so excited today?" Sanji asked, assuming that, since Ussop was supposed to go with Luffy before he was invited, then he must know.

The long nose looked over his shoulder at Sanji and grinned. "'Cause we're gonna decorate!" Ussop stated, shrugging one shoulder to direct Sanji attention to the bag Ussop was carrying. "Oh. Cool. But, I thought it was still a, uh... a trash heap?"

"Yeah, well..." Ussop's eyes wandered away and he mumbled something to himself. "So, that's why!" Ussop said, nodding.

Sanji could not be less confident at that moment. "We're going to be working a lot today, huh?" He asked, a little bit annoyed that he'd agreed to something he had no idea about. He hated cleaning. Always had, always would. He'd clean up his own messes, of course, and he was good at it, but, cleaning some abandoned shack? No. Especially not some creepy abandoned shack.

"There's no way out of it. He wouldn't stop whining until I agreed to help!" Ussop complained. Then, he paused and looked at Sanji questioningly. He didn't actually say anything, but for the longest minute it looked like he might. "Um, anyway! I brought some stuff so we can make the place cooler!" Ussop said, suddenly grabbing the straps of his bag and running off through the fork in the path and kicking up dirt behind him.

Sanji frowned. That was awfully strange of him. He wanted to think about it more, but not all by himself. Sanji picked up his pace a little bit, so he could catch up with Ussop and Luffy sooner. The wind was making odd sounds around him, causing Sanji to walk even a bit faster.

Some awful bird shrieked behind Sanji, sounding to be right in his ear, and he whirled around looking for the offensive creature. "Sanji!" Luffy appeared behind him and Sanji jumped. "You weren't thinking about leaving, were you?" Luffy asked, pouting. Sanji put his hand over his heart to steady the thudding in his chest, (Because, really, how often does Luffy sneak up on people?). He shook his head 'no' and Luffy's pout immediately disappeared behind his smile.

Luffy hooked his arm around one of Sanji's arms and practically took off running, without a warning. "H-hey! You're gonna rip my arm off or something!" Sanji complained, having to walk very quickly just to keep up. How could Luffy, little, skinny, bobble headed Luffy, walk so darn fast?

In no time, they arrived at the shack. This time, Sanji noticed, the door was completely gone and so was the sign. He didn't figure he should be surprised, since he'd rejected several opportunities to visit the shack with everyone else. They climbed the dirty steps quickly and entered through the doorway side by side.

Ussop was nudging a broken table with his shoe, hands in his pockets. "This could be useful. I've got some inventions that could use some wood." Ussop commented, moving on to the next odd piece of furniture. Sanji and Luffy shared a look. Sanji wasn't sure whether or not to be scared by Ussop's inventing spirit, but Luffy was grinning.

"Okay! Let's get started!" Luffy shouted, pumping a fist in the air.

"*Wai, wai~" Ussop mumbled, sarcastically. Sanji sighed, reaching for a rake that was propped up in one corner of the room.

~_Five hours later_~

"... Are we... done yet?" Sanji panted, sliding down the wall to sit in the newly cleaned floor. Ussop was somewhere under a pile of neatly wiped and dusted wood planks from various furniture and Luffy was sprawled out in the middle of the floor with a sponge on his forehead.

"I think so..." Ussop answered, batting a thin square of wood off his head. They waited in silence for a few minutes, somehow expecting something to happen. "Uh... Is Luffy asleep?" Sanji asked, rolling his head in Luffy's direction, frowning to get a better look.

Ussop rolled over in his pile of scrapped furniture and stretched his arms out in front of himself, reaching towards Luffy. He poked Luffy's face once, then twice. Luffy snorted, but, otherwise, no response. "Yep." Ussop confirmed. A moment later, the two conscious boys were laughing.

Sanji fell over onto the floor in a fit of giggles, causing Ussop to laugh even harder. Sanji rubbed the side of his blonde head, trying to rid it of a weird tingling feeling from hitting the floor, and that's when he noticed something. "Ne, Ussop. Did we ever get that room?"

He pointed to the pristine black door, frowning slightly. He couldn't remember going in there. He didn't really want to, but if they were going to clean the place up, there was no sense in doing it halfway. A second later Sanji pushed himself up into a sitting position and stared at the door. He could just see fragmented memories beyond the surface of his conscious mind.

"Wanna go in there?" Ussop asked, also pushing himself up to a sit and crawling away from his pile of junk. Sanji narrowed his eyes at the door, swallowing the bad feelings that came from looking at it. "Just give me a second, okay?" He asked, tilting his head as if the angle would jumpstart his memory. It didn't, but he didn't correct it either.

Ussop looked between Sanji and the black door, confused. "What? Is there something on there?" Ussop asked, leaning in various directions to try and see whatever Sanji was looking at. Sanji shook his head and scooted forward on the floor until he had crossed the room to sit right in front of the door.

"Wow. It's huge from down here. It's kinda scary, too." Sanji commented, leaning back to look at the massive door before him. Ussop crawled over to sit next to Sanji and gasped. "Y-you're right!" Ussop squeaked. "Do you think it leads to," he gulped, "the Underworld?"

Sanji snorted. But, he was thinking about it. He couldn't recall ever entering a room through a black door before. It could lead somewhere evil, but, surely the others had been in there? And, they were all fine. It couldn't be that bad, but the paranoid nagging feeling in his mind told him he shouldn't rule anything out. "Uh... No, I'm sure it doesn't." Sanji said, after a minute.

Beside him, Ussop was making some kind of noise about 'demonic doors', but he didn't pay much attention. He saw snippets of something that must have happened a long time ago. He could remember some things as far back as when he was three, but whatever memory it was that was slowly clawing its way into the shallower pools of his minds was doing a very good job of eluding him.

Sanji closed his eyes and felt the cold from the floor creeping through his shorts. He could see his ships again, the nice shiny ones that a relative he couldn't quite remember had gotten him when he was four. He was sitting in the cold floor, and it was almost like he was watching himself sit there because it felt so strange. Blue shorts, and the white short-sleeve shirt with horizontal yellow stripes that his mom always loved on him. His favorite dress shoes that his parents always told him he shouldn't wear because he was going to run them ragged.

A small creak. It sounded like a door. He remembered a lot of doors that squeaked like that. It wasn't unusual. But, he looked around and no one had opened or closed a door. He closed his eyes again, thinking. "Hey, you're not going to sleep, too, are you?" Ussop asked annoyingly loud right next to Sanji's ear.

"No! Just, be quiet for a minute, I'm trying to figure something out." Sanji said, shaking his head. Ussop complied, deciding to go mess with Luffy in his sleep. Sanji opened his eyes and focused as hard as he could on that door. He cast his eyes around the room to the right, then the left and somehow it was different. He could swear it was larger than that. And, full. Yes. He could kind of see it.

He knew it couldn't have actually been 'the shack' that he was thinking of, because the outside didn't raise any flags in his memory. He decided it was a garage. There was stuff piled up on three walls and something large taking up most of the room that he was never allowed to mess with. But, in one corner, on the same wall as the door, but on the opposite side, he had his toys. He could hardly remember the last time he'd played with toys, let alone ever being inside a garage like that. Sanji shook his head to clear his mind of the daze he'd entered. As far as he could remember, his house never had a garage. There was a room he wasn't supposed to go in, but that was it. No garage.

Sanji stood up, slowly because his knees hurt from sitting in the same spot for so long. He dusted off his shorts and glanced back at Ussop, who was building a structure around Luffy with the pieces of wood he'd collected. He decided to leave them be.

He opened the black door and peeked inside, scared of what he might see. But, it wasn't scary. It was a little square room, dusty all over. There was a small dirty sink in one corner, and a short cot of a bed in another. Somebody had lived there. Sanji looked around and up and in a little closet and under the bed, but there was no sign of the Underworld. "Huh." Sanji hummed, turning back out of the room and leaving the door open so he could look back inside just in case it decided to become the Underworld while he had his back turned.

"It's just a normal room?" Ussop asked, looking between Sanji and the mystery room. Sanji nodded. "You've never been in there?" He asked.

Ussop shook his head. "No, er... But, not because I was scared! I just, uh, didn't feel like it!" Ussop defended, smirking and turning up his nose, facing away from Sanji for good measure.

Later that day, over lunch, Ussop made sure to tell everyone of his brave adventure into 'heck-room'. The sad part was, Luffy, who was actually there, believed the whole thing. Sure, he'd been asleep, but Sanji had expected some measurable amount of brain power from him.

"Wait," Nami put up her hand, interrupting the other three conversations that were going on at their table aside from the one that Ussop was having with himself about his own greatness. "You went to the clubhouse? And, you didn't tell me?" She yelled at Sanji, who recoiled slightly.

"U-um... Y... yes? I- uh, was I supposed to tell you?" The blonde asked, a little confused.

Luffy cut in. "I told you we were going to the clubhouse today! I even said you could come!" He said, between bites.

Nami rolled her eyes. "If you'd told me Sanji-kun was going, I would have said yes!" She said, narrowing her eyes at Luffy before turning to Sanji. "So? You guys were gone a long time. You okay?" She asked. Sanji wasn't sure what to make of her tone, so he looked around at his other friends, but they were all giving him the same look, even Zoro.

"... I got some splinters in my hands?" He offered, not really sure what to say. Everyone seemed to get annoyed at that, except Luffy who, for some unknown reason, decided to laugh. _Splinters hurt..._

"No, I mean," Nami shook her head. "When we went there the first time you looked like you saw a ghost." She said, scooting further onto her seat and leaning on her elbows on the table. Sanji frowned. He'd forgotten about that. Sort of. Well, he remembered how it felt; he just... didn't feel it anymore. He couldn't figure what might have happened to change a fear so strong, but he didn't care. He was okay.

"Well... Yeah, I'm fine." Sanji said, nodding as he speared a forkful of macaroni and cheese. "... Except for, y'know... Heck-room." He mumbled, smirking as Ussop took off on a renewed tirade of lies. They all seemed to tolerate it better after that, if Sanji was seeing right.

That was good. He really didn't know how any of them, let alone all of them, would know about a fear that he, himself, wasn't quite sure about. Though, it made him kind of happy to think that they did know and they did care. They were worried about him.

Sanji couldn't help or even figure out the smile on his face.

*** Wai, wai - Yay, woohoo. Sarcastic, for my purposes. ^-^**

**So, what do you think? It was kind of nice, I think. Friendly-ish development. I kinda missed Zoro. He's so cute. I'll be building up more on Sanji and Zoro in the next few chapters, (Aside from the Nami's birthday one, wherein I'll start the ball rolling on other important things!). I guess I don't have anything else to say for now, so... Review!**

**Ciao~**


	14. Quarrel

**Ah, later than I had planned, but, oh well. I've been having a gawdawful week, just so you know! That's how damn devoted I am to this story and it's readers, that I'd still finish a chapter when I'm having a terrible time of things! I won't bore those of you who actually read these things any longer, so...**

**Enjoy.**

It was weird.

Very, very weird.

Well, maybe not.

But, Zoro thought it was.

He was sitting on Sanji's bed, watching the blonde rifle through his bag in the corner in search of some unknown object. All day, Sanji had been in a good mood. A great mood, actually. He was talking so much, too, and normally he was pretty quiet. He was saying something at that moment that Zoro really wasn't paying attention to.

For the life of him, Zoro couldn't figure out what was going on. He wasn't complaining, of course, he really did like that Sanji was happy, even if he was being a little annoying. He was just confused. Sanji would go off somewhere at random points in the day and just show up again whenever he felt like it. Which wasn't really convenient, since, as far as Zoro could tell, Sanji didn't tell anyone where or when he was going, so no one could plan to have him included in whatever game they decided to play.

After another week or so of barely seeing Sanji, there Zoro sat, just watching him, not really sure what to do.

"Ne, Zoro, have you been listening?" Sanji asked, a teasing smile on his face. That was something that was growing more frequent.

"U-um... yes? I mean, yeah, of course!" Zoro stumbled over his words, trying to think of the last thing he heard Sanji say. The blonde tipped his head up in skeptical belief and turned back to his bag. "So, what do you think?" Sanji asked.

Zoro's mouth fell open a bit. He really wished he hadn't lied about having listened. He struggled to find suitable words for a drawn out moment and Sanji stared at him. "You could've just said you weren't listening." Sanji pointed out.

"I was to listening!" Zoro defended, lamely, in Sanji's opinion. Sanji nodded, not believing for a second. "O-kaaaaay."

Zoro held strong for about four seconds under Sanji's innocent stare, and then, "... 'Kay, fine, I wasn't listening."

Sanji giggled into his hand. "Of course not. I guess that's okay, I didn't really say anything too important." The last part was mumbled, and that made Zoro frown. "Tell me anyway." He said, in a less-than-polite tone.

The giggles died and Sanji shook his head. "Nah. It's fine." He said, zipping up his bag and pushing it back into the corner. Sanji stood up and rubbed at the indents of the floorboards on his legs. He straightened his shirt and went for the door.

Zoro jumped up and blocked Sanji's way, looking at him with something of a glare. "Tell. Me. _Anyway_." Zoro ordered, narrowing his eyes. He had to work to keep the expression up when Sanji gave him the 'lost puppy' face that he seemed to like using whenever Zoro was trying to be serious.

"You didn't think it was important enough to listen the first time." Sanji mumbled, his bottom lip coming out a bit. Zoro wanted to slap himself. "Well, I'm listening now!" Zoro announced. Sanji winced at the volume.

Sanji blinked a couple of times, switching his gaze between Zoro and the door. "Can I go now?" He asked, sort of a whiney tone to his voice. Zoro thought about moving, but shook the thought from his mind as fast as it came in. "No. I want you to tell me what you were telling me a minute ago."

"You mean, when you weren't listening to me?" Sanji asked, looking up through his eyelashes at Zoro, who cringed slightly. Sanji side-stepped, but Zoro mirrored the movement. "Tell me." Zoro repeated.

"No." Sanji said firmly, crossing his arms over his chest. He stepped to the other side and Zoro followed him. "Leave me alone, Plant!" Sanji said, frowning.

Zoro narrowed his eyes at the insult. "I would if you'd tell me what you said earlier, Target face!" Zoro retorted, taking an aggressive step forward. Sanji looked confused and offended by his insult and he was a little worried for a second, because Sanji also took a step backwards when he took a step forward.

"I already told you! If it wasn't important enough to listen to the first time, then you must not really want to know!" Sanji stated, in a 'that's final' sort of way. Zoro just wouldn't listen. He kept insisting Sanji repeat himself, for minutes on end.

Zoro's back was against the door, his hands on the doorknob. Sanji's shoulders dropped. "I'm going to be late, Zoro!" He whined, pulling at Zoro's shirt to try and get him away from the door. It didn't do him much good at all, but he had to try.

"Late for what?" Zoro asked, agitated. Sanji finally decided he couldn't stand it and went over to the bunk bed. He stepped onto the foot board at the end of his bed and grabbed onto the one at the end of Zoro's bed, then hoisting himself up to sit at the end of Zoro's bed.

He stared at Zoro with, hopefully, a stubborn look. He had thought he could tell Zoro, but if Zoro didn't want to listen when he spoke, then he just wouldn't speak. It seemed similar things were always happening between him and Zoro.

"Why're you sitting on my bed?" Zoro asked, not moving a single inch from the door.

Sanji blinked slowly, turning his eyes to look at some random spot on Zoro's bright green sheets.

"Hey!" Zoro yelled, trying to get the blonde's attention, but only succeeding in making him jump a little. He could tell it was starting. Sanji was getting mad at him. He had two choices; give in and let Sanji leave, without getting the information he wanted, or, don't give in and have Sanji mad at him for who knows how long. He wasn't very good at just giving in.

* * *

>When Sanji had finally gotten to leave, after no small amount of struggling, he was on the brink of tears. It had been hours since he first said he was going to be late for whatever it was he was doing, and Zoro hadn't gotten a word out of him since. Of course, he felt kind of bad about it, but wouldn't it just be simpler if Sanji just told him what he had been trying to tell him? Then, they both could have gone on their way, without all the fussing and fighting.<p><p>

In any case, it totally wasn't Zoro's fault. Not in the slightest. And, he definitely didn't feel guilty for upsetting his roommate. Nope. So, he didn't have to answer when his friends asked him if he did something to Sanji, or if he knew where Sanji was. Because he didn't; to both of them.

Sanji didn't turn up again until after dinner, and even then, he didn't say a word. They shared the elevator, which wasn't something they would normally do, (put aside the fact that they usually took the stairs). Zoro had asked where Sanji had gone and his reply had been the sleepy elevator music. He'd asked if Sanji went to one of their friends' rooms earlier, and Sanji had completely ignored him. Zoro took note that Sanji was getting better at that.

Once they got to their room, Sanji grabbed his pajamas and left right away, before Zoro could say another word. Zoro couldn't think of what he'd done that was bad enough to warrant that kind of behavior from Sanji, but he was getting tired of it fast. Sanji didn't get to be mad. All Zoro wanted was to know what he was up to.

Zoro changed into his green and white striped pajamas and turned off the lamp. He didn't think he was going to actually sleep, but he was tired as hell. Zoro climbed up and was about to get onto his bed, when he remembered earlier. Sanji had sat there. For a long time, actually, while Zoro sat in front of the door. It was weird to see, since Zoro never let anybody touch his stuff, or even look at his stuff. Especially his bed. But, he let Sanji sit there.

Sanji had dangled his legs off the end of the bed and kicked his feet idly, sitting there, plucking at something unseen. When Zoro told him to get off, Sanji had slid off the end of the bed and gone over to sit in the corner with his bag without a word, without even a glance. It was almost disturbing. Zoro even tried to sit next to him once, to get him to say or do something and not look so damn hurt, but Sanji had just gotten up and moved.

Zoro hurt a little bit just thinking about it. He wasn't sure why, because, obviously, it wasn't his fault. Maybe it was the fact that he didn't know what was going on that pained him? Yeah. He hated mysteries. Especially ones that related to his friends. They were just that much more frustrating.

Zoro stepped back down onto the floor and rolled into Sanji's bed. He didn't know why, but it seemed like the thing to do. He didn't think Sanji was coming back, anyway. Whenever they were having any significant fight, Sanji would go stay with Ussop or Nami, since neither of them seemed to keep roommates for very long. Zoro didn't understand it, especially since those two were more annoying than Sanji, or anyone.

It was a long time before Zoro fell asleep. He was almost certain he'd seen the first rays of morning light before his eyelids finally got too heavy and his teetering consciousness tipped over the edge and he slipped into a dreamless sleep. The blackness existed for mere minutes before he awoke again.

The door opened with a small creak and Zoro pretended he was still asleep. He didn't know why he would do that, but he did. Sanji tip-toed into the room, day clothes in hand. He crept over to the dresser and opened the whiney drawer just enough to shove his clothes inside it, then shut it right back afterwards. His pajamas were just barely visible in the early morning light and Zoro could just make out the outline of the fish pattern on the pale blue fabric.

Sanji looked exhausted, Zoro noticed as Sanji looked around the room. When his blue eyes fell on Zoro, for a moment the green-haired boy was certain he was caught. Sanji just stared for one minute, then two, but he never said anything. He just watched Zoro, seemingly unaware that Zoro was watching him as well.

Zoro's heart settled after a minute, having been beating rapidly at the thought of being caught doing something as ridiculous as sleeping in the other boy's bed in his absence. Sanji finally frowned and approached the bed, causing Zoro to go rigid.

Sanji hummed to himself. It was a quiet, thoughtful sound, but Zoro nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard it. Sanji reached down, looking almost ghostly in the blue-ish light. His hand stopped inches from Zoro's head and he bit his lip. Sanji's arm fell to his side and he walked around to the end of the bed and climbed up onto the top bunk. There was fidgeting for a while, but Sanji settled in pretty quickly and Zoro could finally relax.

He sank into the mattress a little further after he released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. What had Sanji been about to do? Zoro wanted to know. He almost wanted to ask. To ruin his whole 'still sleeping' act by speaking, just for the sake of getting a most likely un-important answer. Not that Sanji would answer. He probably wouldn't acknowledge Zoro in the slightest.

Zoro didn't end up going back to sleep that morning. He was going to be dragging tail all day, he knew, but he couldn't get to sleep. It was odd for him, since, usually; he could sleep anywhere, anytime. He couldn't figure it out. He knew his mind was preoccupied, really wanting to know what Sanji had been about to do and what he was mad about, but he could always sleep. Every time, through just about everything, Zoro could sleep.

The sun couldn't rise fast enough for Zoro, leaving him in utter silence. His brain wasn't functioning quite the way it normally did, whether because of exhaustion or confusion. He was torn. He couldn't decide if he should be mad at Sanji, too, or if Sanji was wrong to be mad at him in the first place. Or, why. They were just fighting about... wait, what were they even fighting about? Zoro couldn't remember anymore. Probably because he wasn't actually doing any fighting. It was all Sanji.

At that thought, Zoro sat up. It was reflexive, the way he hopped out of bed and walked far enough back that he could see onto the top bunk. Sanji's back was to the wall, his eyes closed and his hair falling over his face. Before Zoro had half a moment to think about what he was doing, he walked up to the bed and used the bottom bunk as a step to see onto the top. He reached his hand out and shook Sanji by the shoulder. He almost stopped, mid-shake, uncertain about whether or not it would be a good thing to wake him, but he continued anyway.

Sanji groaned, a pitiful frown crossing his face before his eyes opened. He blinked a time or two at Zoro, not really processing, at first, what was going on. Zoro words died in his throat. Sanji only looked a little confused. Not angry, or sad, or anything. Had he forgiven him?

Silence controlled the room, disturbed only by the shrill morning birds. "Uh..." Zoro began, arms hooked over the guard rail around the edge of the bunk. Sanji raised his eyebrows slightly. "W-what were we fighting about yesterday?" Zoro asked, immediately questioning the decision.

The blonde pulled further away from the railing, frowning a little. Zoro's switch flipped to auto-pilot and he started trying to be angry, but he quickly righted that. "I mean, I just can't remember, that's all! It's not like I wanted to apologize or anything, I, uh, just wanted to know!" Okay, so, not entirely, but it was better than it might have been.

"We were fighting yesterday, because you're a butt face. Thanks for reminding me." Sanji said, blandly. He started to turn over to face the wall, but Zoro grabbed his arm. "Wait a second! I'm the butt face? You were the one keeping secrets and being all... snooty!"

Sanji pouted slightly. "I wasn't being snooty. You weren't listening to me; you're never listening to me." He said, quiet and tired voice slowly sounding more awake. "I decided, since we were friends and all," Sanji gave him a pointed look, sarcasm radiating off of him. "That I would tell you what I wasn't telling anyone else. Obviously, that was stupid."

Zoro narrowed his eyes at Sanji. "No, you're stupid! And, I listen to you all the time, and the one time I don't listen you got your feelings hurt!" Zoro snapped, jumping off and away from the bed, expecting the argument to follow him. Instead, he got silence. He had to stand on his tip-toes to see Sanji's face, after the few moments it took for curiosity to overcome him.

Sanji's pout was more prominent then, his eyebrows furrowed. He pulled the blanket up over his head and turned over to face the wall, completely shutting Zoro out. "Hey! Don't you have anything to say?" Zoro yelled, shoving the bed a little. Sanji didn't answer.

**What, what? A fighting chapter? What is this mystery that Sanji told Zoro about when he wasn't really listening? Why haven't they made up yet because of it? Why do I ask so many questions when probably no one reads this? xD**

**Well, the other day I was reading over the past chapters and I realized that I didn't quite get the nine and ten year old attitude right. Or the vocabulary. Or anything. FAIL. But, that's why I've decided that I need a pretty serious time-skip. Not next chapter, maybe not even the one after that, but, soon. I really need to do something, though.**

**In any case, I think this was a good chapter. Dramatic-y. I don't want them to still be fighting, but I'm not sure how to mend it. Oh, well. 'Tis for another day! xD Reviews, please!**

**Ciao~**


	15. Wish

**A day late, but not a buck short! Haha, I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. It ran longer than I thought it would, but I still like that it did. The entire chapter is from Nami's point of view, as I received a couple of requests for it, and... it's her birthday on the third of July. xD Happy Birthday, Nami!**

**Enjoy!**

"Are you guys still not talking?" Ussop asked, poking his nose up, out from under his bed where he had been retrieving some 'top secret invention'.

Sanji glanced at Ussop out of the corner of his eye, giving a very fake smile. "Zoro's talking. But, I don't wanna talk to him." Sanji said, turning back to the half-constructed Popsicle stick mansion that Ussop had left in the middle of his floor.

Nami frowned from the doorway. "Ever gonna tell us what's wrong?" She asked, completely annoyed with Sanji. The blonde looked at her and frowned in thought. "I don't know. I guess. Maybe." He mumbled, running his fingers over the small structure in front of him.

"No! Not 'maybe'! 'Maybe' is the wrong answer!" Nami shouted. Ussop flinched and bumped his head on the bedframe, but Nami ignored him. "Come on, Sanji-kun! For me?" Nami pleaded, clapping her hands together in front of her face.

Ussop crawled the rest of the way out from under his bed and nodded. "Yeah, it's her birthday. You have to tell her!" The long nose insisted. That earned him some credit from Nami, who smiled at him and came as close as she would to thanking him.

Sanji mumbled, "Well, it was gonna be a surprise..." He was opening and closing the little door on the half-built stick-mansion.

Nami raised her eyebrows. "A surprise... for me?" She asked, stepping away from the door way and towards Sanji.

The blonde nodded, glancing up at her and giving a genuine smile. "I think so. I mean... it could be. I'm not so sure anymore." Sanji rambled on, confusing himself and his two friends. His smile slowly dissipated as he kept vaguely crushing his own ideas. Eventually, Nami had had enough. She snatched Sanji up by his sleeve with some difficulty and pulled him out of the room. "We'll be back in a while, Ussop." She called. "Just going for a walk."

"What about my top secret invention?" Ussop called after them. Sanji gave him a mildly apologetic look and shrugged. He had no idea what was about to happen, but the oh-so-top-secret whatsit would have to wait.

Nami pulled Sanji along behind her, through the hall, down the stairs and across the lobby, until they were in the library. "Now. Tell me what it is." Nami demanded, turning to face Sanji and leering at him. "I hate surprises."

"Everybody likes surprises!" Sanji argued helplessly. Nami just glared at him. "I don't. Now, you can tell me, or you can owe me for the rest of your life." Nami stated, crossing her arms over her chest and lifting her chin in a bold manner.(Italic) Not this again... (Italic)

Sanji's shoulder slumped and he pouted at Nami. She didn't give an inch and he sighed. "Okay, fine. It's the cake."

"What?"

"The cake. I helped make it." Sanji mumbled, feeling silly for ever thinking it was any significant surprise. It crossed his mind that, perhaps, he owed Zoro an apology.

Nami grinned brilliantly. "Really? What flavor is it? Is it pretty? Is it huge?" She asked, rapidly firing each question at Sanji. Her eyes were sparkling brightly and Sanji was certain her smile had wrapped around to the back of her head. He blinked a couple of times to be sure he was seeing correctly, then asked, "You... you're happy?"

The redhead laughed. "Of course I'm happy! Now, tell me everything about the cake," She tilted her head down and gave him a lopsided serious look. "Or, I'll make you owe me!" Sanji had to sigh again, but this time he smiled, too. His surprise wasn't as weird as he'd told himself over and over again. He thought everyone would say it was weird. He was relieved that Nami seemed excited.

It was her birthday, after all.

* * *

><p>Nami couldn't stop smiling. She was going to have a great birthday, she knew. Sanji had divulged heaps of information, a lot more than she ever expected he would have. Apparently, he'd been in the kitchen for a while. She was confused at first, but, when Sanji had explained, she was more than happy to encourage him. One, because he was happy, and two, because she could get whatever she wanted from the kitchen, from that point on.<p>

She was practically skipping down the hallway, excited for night to arrive so she could have cake. Nami wasn't exactly sure what floor she was on, or where she was going, but it was fun. She wondered what kind of presents she might get, since, really, what was a birthday without presents? She remembered her last birthday, her seventh, when she and Nojiko had snuck out and met halfway between Bellmere's house and the orphanage. Nojiko had given her a book- her most prized possession. Nojiko said Bellemere had bought it for her, since she'd left only weeks before her seventh birthday.

That had been one of her better birthdays, though she did miss Bellemere.

Nami had just renewed her grin when she heard a door slam. A second later, Zoro rounded the corner. _Oh, the third floor, then._ "Hey Zoro. I talked to Sanji." Nami said, just to get his attention. She may be the youngest in their group, but she knew how to play them. Zoro looked at her, eyebrows furrowed.

"What?" Zoro asked, stopping right beside Nami. He sounded like he hadn't heard what she'd said, but the look on his face contradicted his tone.

Nami smiled. Exactly the affect she thought it would have. "Yep. He told me a bunch of stuff," Nami began, and Zoro narrowed his eyes at her. "Mostly stuff about my birthday tonight. D'you get me a present, by the way?" Nami asked, messing with the corners of her dress and grinning.

Zoro snorted. "No." He said flatly. Nami stuck her tongue out at him and crossed her arms. "You got anything else to say, or can I leave?" Zoro asked, not so much a question. He was already starting to walk away when Nami groaned and rolled her eyes.

"You're so annoying!" She muttered, spinning on her heel so she could see Zoro as he continued on his way. Nami waited a moment before singing, "I know something you don't know~!" Zoro froze at the end of the hall. Nami had him in her pocket.

* * *

><p>Her day was going exactly as planned. She was going to have cake, presents, a party, and her friends were all going to get along with each other whether they liked it or not. It was going to be a good birthday. Actually, it was already a fantastic day, seeing as everyone was falling right in line with what she wanted. Phenomenal. Everyone was going to have a hard time impressing her with presents.<p>

Nami straightened her 'birthday girl' pin that Nojiko had passed down to her, and raised her chin higher. She became even more proud when the volunteer-helper-people started harvesting eight to twelve year old girls. She didn't so much care for being viewed by potential parents, but, what the hey? It was her birthday and she could flaunt it if she wanted to.

The redhead walked around the room, making goofy faces at the four adults in the room. One of the volunteers told her to stop and Nami agreed to, but she continued to make faces whenever the staff wasn't looking. She was having too much fun to stop. It was the orphanage's fault, anyway, for keeping her cooped up in that room for, what was it? A half hour? Too long, in any case. She got far too impatient by the time they allowed the occupants of the room to leave. As soon as they'd begun clearing out the girls, a group of boys crowded into the hallway, instructed by a handful of volunteers to wait on the girls to leave the room before they entered it.

In that crowd of boys, Nami spotted all her friends.

"Hey guys!" She called, waving her hand above the heads of all the other girls. Through the narrow gaps between the quickly-lining-up bodies, Nami saw all of them spot her and either smile or make an 'o' shape with their mouth. Or, be Zoro and completely ignore her existence. Someday, she'd make him listen to her, she promised herself, giving him something of a devilish grin.

"Oh, Nami, what're you doing here?" Luffy asked, epically confused according to his face. Not a lick of sense in his brain, Nami swore.

"Yeah, I thought you and Sanji were off dating somewhere?" Ussop chimed in.

Sanji slapped Ussop's arm. "I'm right here, you dingle berry!" He shouted, earning more than one laugh from the group of boys.

"Whoa, you two are dating?" Luffy asked, completely lost in the situation.

Nami slapped a hand to her forehead. She wrestled her way through the girls in her group that, apparently, had someplace very important to be. Despite going against the current, Nami reached the boys' crowd before they reached her. "I'm not dating anyone, so you two dumb heads be quiet!" Nami scolded Ussop and Luffy, and then turned to Sanji. "You guys in a eight to twelve group, too?" She asked.

"Yep." Sanji confirmed, nodding.

A volunteer guy, not even a grown-up, told Nami that she had to go with the girls because it was the boys' turn in the 'viewing room'. She just blew raspberries at him and turned to Zoro. She raised her eyebrows at him as a way of saying what she wanted to say without saying it in front of the others. 'Did you talk to him?'

As the boys were being ushered into the room and the girls were halfway down the hall, Zoro just stared at her. "What?" He asked, not understanding a word her eyes were saying. She rolled her eyes at him and pointed to Sanji as he and Luffy passed through the doorway side-by-side. Zoro looked confused for another second, but then it clicked. "No. And, I won't, because it's not my fault." Zoro stated, adamantly. The next moment, he turned and stalked into the room and one of the volunteers closed the doors.

Nami narrowed her eyes at Zoro's lingering presence. A puzzle piece refuses to fit. She'd have to fix that problem another way.

-~Later~-

Nami staked out the hallway until, finally, Sanji emerged. He was the sixth boy out of the room, preceded by five boys Nami didn't know, so it was easy to grab him out of the group. She had apparently spooked him, but he quickly calmed down and followed her. "What is it? Is something wrong?" He'd asked. Nami had just shook her head and told him to follow faster.

Once they finally reached a deserted room full of dusty boxes, Nami halted. She turned abruptly and poked a finger into Sanji's chest. "Zoro wants to apologize to you, but he's too chicken to!" She stated, her words crossing over each other a bit because she was speaking so fast.

Sanji raised an eyebrow at her. "Huh?" He questioned, rather dumbly. "Zoro doesn't want to apologize to me. He told me I was stupid for being mad this long, and that he was right." Sanji said, almost nonchalantly. But, Nami knew better. Those two should be best friends by now, according to her plan. Why did they keep messing up?

Nami rolled her eyes. "Okay, what was your fight about?"

"I told him some important stuff, the stuff I told you, and he wasn't listening. Then, he was like 'I was listening', and I was like 'okay', and he was like 'I was!' and I was like-"

"The point!"

"Okay! Zoro doesn't listen to me and he made me miss helping out in the kitchen that day."

"So? That was just one day."

"He kept me in there for hours! I told him I had to go, and he said I couldn't."

Nami frowned. "I still don't know why you're that angry."

"The chefs told me I could help them cook that day, since I was only doing dishes until then! I really wanted to... but, I missed my chance and they made me do dishes again." Sanji trailed off, pouting slightly. Nami nodded slowly. "Okay. That's bad, then. But, they're letting you help make my cake?"

"Made. We made it this morning." Sanji replied, nodding once. Nami giggled excitedly. She didn't wait to fully regain composure before she continued with her point, "You should just forgive him first. It'd be like a competition!"

Sanji gave her a blank look and Nami rolled her eyes at him. "I'm being serious! If you forgive him, he'll apologize." Nami insisted. Sanji looked skeptical, but he conceded. "Alright. I'll try. But... if he calls me stupid one more time, I'm never going to forgive him." The blonde stated firmly, walking off towards wherever he thought Zoro would be.

As Sanji rounded the corner, Nami's smile caught back up with her. She hadn't expected Sanji to go for that, but she was sure it would work. Bellemere had told her of that technique, after all.

* * *

><p>Nami had wanted to follow Sanji, to know that everything went well, but she had refrained. She knew that, if either of them saw her, they probably wouldn't apologize like they were supposed to. Still, she was itching to find out. Her birthday wouldn't be perfect until they'd cleared the air of all ill feelings. They were cutting it close, she knew, since the party was due to start anytime now, but she was confident her plan would work. Her plans always worked.<p>

She paced back and forth on the second floor landing, not really sure what floor she should look for Sanji and Zoro on. Probably the third, she guessed, since their room was up on the third floor. But, they could also be in Ussop's or Luffy's room, which were both on the second floor. Or, they could be somewhere completely random. Or, they might not have spoken yet. Maybe Sanji had pointedly ignored speaking to Zoro, or maybe Zoro had completely refused to apologize?

Nami groaned, furiously scrubbing at her hair with her hands. She had to find them and force them to make up. She couldn't remember if Zoro owed her anything, but she could probably conjure up something to hold over his head to make him apologize. He wouldn't like her for it, but when had he ever?

As Nami took her first step up to the third floor, a woman wearing an apron burst out onto the first floor landing and looked up. "There you are!" The woman shouted, hitching up her skirt and running up the stairs to Nami. "We've been looking all over for you! You're party's all set up!"

Nami frowned at the woman. "Are Sanji and Zoro there?" Nami asked, crossing her arms defiantly. The woman looked a little offended. "Of course, child, everyone in your age group is there!"

"Sanji and Zoro are older than me! They're fighting, too, so I have to make sure they make up before I can have my birthday!" Nami decided, clapping her hand on the railing and stomping up the steps. The woman stopped her before she got up too far by grabbing her shoulders and steering her back down. "I'm sure that business is best left to them. Now, you should go to the dining room so we can get this all over and done with before the ice cream melts!" The woman trilled, shoving Nami along down the stairs.

Nami protested again and again, even trying to get away, but the pushy apron-lady steered her all the way to the entrance to the dining room before giving her any room to squirm. Even then, she could barely attempt to turn around before apron-lady gave her one last shove, straight through the doors. Nami stumbled a little, hopping on one foot a few times before coming to a halt.

A large number of people she knew, and people she had only ever seen around were scattered throughout the room, clustering together in the middle around two rectangular tables that were pushed together at the short ends. On the table were a bunch of place settings, napkins, plates, plastic utensils and cups, as well as a small hill of presents. Some of the presents were pretty, wrapped in colorful paper and perfect bows, but those weren't the ones she looked forward to. The sloppy ones were from her friends.

Luffy and Ussop came bounding up to her, already high on excitement and Kool-Aid. "C'mon, c'mon! Are you having fun, Nami?" Luffy asked excitedly. Nami beamed and nodded, then asked, "Where's Zoro and Sanji?"

Luffy turned his head so fast his straw hat didn't move. He looked around the room, then at Ussop. "I don't know? They were in here, right?" Luffy asked, head tilting from side to side. Ussop shrugged. "Haven't seen them since... a couple minutes ago, when I was coming here from the bathroom. They were having a staring contest or something." Ussop said, nodding.

"Oh, they're not ignoring each other?" Luffy inquired, looking pleased.

"That's the plan." Nami told them, grinning as she walked over to the table. Makino directed her to sit in the chair with curly pink ribbons covering the back of it. The boys followed her lead curiously, asking about 'the plan', but Nami just responded 'you'll see'. She herself had to see, after all. Not that she wasn't confident in her own plan, because no one could be more so. She just knew that Sanji and Zoro didn't seem to like playing along.

As a large woman rolled in the cake on a shiny silver cart, Nami spotted Zoro. At first, she frowned, because he was by himself, but then Sanji slipped into view and beckoned Zoro towards the table. The redhead grinned widely, beaming at her friends, then at the cake as it was set in front of her. A half-melted '8' candle sat in the middle of her cake, between the words 'happy birthday' in pink icing. She wondered if anybody around there knew her at all, because she didn't really care for pink, but she quickly dismissed the thought. It was a lovely cake, whether or not it was too girly for her preferences.

Makino leaned across the table holding a lit match and called, "Everyone ready to sing? On the count of three..."

Nami laughed and told them she was scared to hear it, earning a group laugh from everyone within earshot.

"One,"

Luffy and Ussop pulled up seats across from her, sitting on their knees in the chairs and leaning their elbows on the table to get closer to the cake.

"Two,"

Sanji sat on her right and Zoro sat on Sanji's right, giving Nami a weird look. She couldn't care less.

"Three!"

Everyone who cared at all began singing a very off-key version of Happy Birthday and Nami was laughing through the whole thing. Somebody in the back, who was singing rather loudly, even called her by a different name in the song. Luffy and Ussop were contesting to see who could be more obnoxious while singing and Nami could only laugh harder.

Right before the end of the song, Nami closed her eyes, thinking of a wish. The last note echoed through the dining room and Nami blew out the candles.

_I wish we all stay friends forever..._

**Aww, how sweet? And devious. xP I do like Nami, but I miss writing from Sanji and Zoro's points of view! There was so much missing! I'll have to elaborate a little bit, I think. Well, I was planning to anyway, but, more than I originally thought. Somehow I felt that this could have been a stand-alone fic, but it works nicely in this, too. What did you think? I'd love a review!**

**Sayonara~**


	16. Familiar

**On time, fresh and ready! I've been anticipating this chapter for a while. Not so much the first bit, but, y'know, some parts. Anyway, enjoy!**

_"I... have kind of been acting like a baby... so, I guess, I forgive you..." Sanji mumbled, furrowing his eyebrows as Zoro continued to glare. He was about to turn back and tell Nami it didn't work, when Zoro finally loosened up a little._  
><em>"Okayfinesorry!" Zoro's words overlapped, but Sanji still understood him. He wasn't entirely forgiving, but his mother told him once that he should always accept apologies; because that means the person apologizing cares what you think. So, Sanji smiled and looked Zoro straight in the eye and thanked him.<em>  
><em>Zoro was a little slack-jawed at that point. He hadn't been expecting Sanji to just forgive him out of the blue. He was rather shocked, seeing as Sanji's pride was a dead-match for his own. Zoro was also somewhat relieved that he didn't have to be the first one to concede. He could never do that, though, if he could, he would have taken a lot longer than Sanji. In that way, he wasn't sure if he considered himself to be better or worse than the blonde.<em>  
><em>"Do you really want to know where I go off to during the day?" Sanji asked slowly. He was extremely agitated that he had to give in, but he figured that, if he didn't tell Zoro, it would become an argument and a fight again.<em>  
><em>Zoro regarded him seriously. "Yeah." He said with a nod.<em>  
><em>"You look like you think it's gonna be awful..." Sanji observed, and when Zoro raised his eyebrows slightly, he threw his hands up in defense. "It isn't, I swear!"<em>  
><em>"I'll be the judge of that." Zoro said, raising his chin a bit. Sanji frowned.<em>  
><em>Zoro waved his hand as a bid for Sanji to get on with it. The blonde sighed. "Whatever. I've been helping out in the kitchen." He said, all in one breath. Zoro deadpanned. "You're a girl." He accused flatly, causing Sanji to frown deeper.<em>  
><em>"I am not a girl! I just wanted to help out and they said I could!"<em>  
><em>"Girl."<em>  
><em>"Stop that!" Sanji whined pathetically, rolling his head a little bit. Zoro laughed at him. "So, you being a girl was the big secret? Not really worth it." Zoro scoffed.<em>  
><em>Sanji made a show of pouting and glaring at Zoro before he turned so fast that his hair fluttered and left the room. "You're still acting like a girl!" Zoro informed loudly as Sanji disappeared from view. He couldn't hear footsteps anymore, so he peeked out into the hallway. Sanji was just standing in the middle of the ugly rug holding open the door to the stairs, his head hung. <em>Damn him_._  
><em>Zoro sighed noisily and caught up to Sanji, one hand in his pocket, the other on the back of his head, messing with his hair absently. He couldn't find the words to apologize for calling Sanji a girl, since, yes, he really did think Sanji was being girly, and it was just far too silly to apologize for the truth.<em>  
><em>Sanji glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. He looked back down to the shaggy rug beneath his shoes and mumbled pitifully, "My mom let me help her cook and she said it was gentlemanly. Not girly." The older boy closed his eyes and silently berated himself. Of course it was something he did with his mom. Because Zoro just had to mess up on the touchiest subjects.<em>  
><em>He could barely summon a grumbling apology before Sanji was already starting down the stairs. "Hey! I thought you said you forgive me?" Zoro called, hurrying after Sanji, though he'd argue that he really didn't care. "I didn't... uh... I wasn't insulting you or your mom! I only meant it as a joke!"<em>  
><em>"It's just not funny today."<em>  
><em>"Then, I don't care! You're just being a drama queen about it!"<em>  
><em>"So what if I am? You're still supposed to be my Nakama!"<em>  
><em>"I am!"<em>  
><em>Sanji turned on him, glaring. "No. You're just a- a... a turd!"<em>  
><em>Zoro recoiled slightly. "... What does that mean?" He asked, confused, but still offended.<em>  
><em>"It means poop." Sanji explained, rolling his eyes without amusement. Zoro recoiled further. "Hey! I am not!"<em>  
><em>Sanji raised his eyebrows challengingly. "Then, tell me; what would a Nakama do right about now? A good Nakama." Sanji emphasized the word 'good' by widening his eyes briefly.<em>  
><em>Zoro froze. He was Sanji's Nakama, so, whatever he did must be what a Nakama would do, right? Wasn't he a good Nakama? He thought so... Luffy seemed to think so, too, otherwise he wouldn't have decided to include Zoro in their circle of Nakama. Didn't Sanji think so? Zoro fumbled for words but he ended up just standing there with his mouth open for no particular reason.<em>  
><em>The blonde nodded, seeming to run out of fire. "See?" Sanji goaded, still not happy, but less mad now that he'd made Zoro think about his behavior.<em>  
><em>For the longest time they just stood there staring each other down as if something would just simply happen, without either of them doing anything or saying anything. Distantly, Sanji heard a door open and close, someone walking down the stairs from the first floor to the lobby.<em>  
><em>"Okay." Zoro said.<em>  
><em>"Okay, what?" Sanji asked, confused.<em>  
><em>"I mean, 'okay' it isn't girly if you want to cook. It's... good, I guess."<em>  
><em>Right then, Sanji smiled brightly and Zoro had to take a second and be sure he wasn't messing with him. When he was sure, though, he grinned as well. "Thank you." Sanji thanked him earnestly. The two of them descended the rest of the way down to the lobby and headed for Nami's birthday party in the dining hall. Zoro shut himself up and kept it that way so he wouldn't accidentally make Sanji upset again.<em>  
>-~One week later~-<br>Sanji left for the kitchen bright and early in the morning because the chefs promised that he could help cook if he got there on time. He knew they purposely started cooking a little earlier just to keep him from helping, but he was determined. They told him about the volunteers they were going to have over that afternoon, after all.  
>He was still beyond tired, but Sanji wanted to be on his best behavior, which included helping out in the kitchen, even if he was stuck with the dishes. Yesterday at dinnertime, he'd heard the kitchen-maids talking about man who came and brought food for the children occasionally. They said he owned a nice restaurant in a town Sanji'd never heard of before and that the man was a great chef. Sanji was beyond excited to see him. He wanted to know what it was like to own a restaurant.<br>When he came into the kitchen through the side door, the few people that were in the kitchen at five forty-five in the morning looked at him. He looked down at himself; just to be sure they had no reason to be looking at him like they were scared. Blue-and-white striped polo, navy shorts, old canvas slip-ons that Ussop gave him. Nothing scary. He shrugged and hopped over to the short wooden stool that was sitting in the floor below the double sink. "What can I do to help?" He asked cheerily.  
>The groggy chef, a very, very skinny man with more lines in his face than fish in the sea, looked at Sanji and gave him an approving nod. "Bright an' early." He said in his scratchy old voice. "Very good, kid."<br>Then, he dumped a giant load of dishes into the sink and handed Sanji a scrub brush. "Those're from las' night. I expect 'em all ta shine afore our guests git here." Sanji gawked slightly, but quickly righted himself and got to work. "Yes, sir!"

* * *

><p>Just in time for breakfast at eight o'clock, Sanji finished the dishes. His feet and back hurt from standing in the same place for so long, he almost didn't want to stand in line to get some food. Luckily, one of the women who help out in the kitchen fixed him a plate straight from the stove and ushered him to sit down.<br>Sanji spotted his friends' table and hurried over to them, sliding up into his seat without using his hands. "Hi guys!" He greeted, sliding his plate onto the table and eating a large forkful of biscuit and sausage gravy. Everyone looked at him like he was the devil. "Sanji-kun, it's too early to be that happy." Nami groaned. Sanji just laughed. She had no idea what early was.  
>Zoro looked to be asleep as he was sitting, hunched over his breakfast. Luffy, who was sitting in the seat to Zoro's immediate left, was practically asleep himself, occasionally making snoring sounds. Ussop, sitting between Nami and Sanji, yawned obnoxiously and rubbed his nose. Nami, on Zoro's right, leaving Sanji to sit between Ussop and Luffy, blinked slowly as she gulped orange juice out of a glass she was holding with both hands.<br>Sanji laughed at his tired friends. He always was a bit of an early bird, he guessed, but that was ridiculous for them to be complaining to him, who got up at five-thirty on purpose, that it was early. "Guess what? I'm going to meet a real chef today! Like, from a restaurant and everything!" Sanji announced excitedly, giving them no time to 'guess'.  
>"Hm..."<br>"That's nice..."  
>"...What?"<br>"Fooooo...d."  
>"Aww-ah."<br>Sanji deadpanned at his friends. "Wow, thanks." He said sarcastically, shoveling another bite into his mouth. He hadn't the foresight to get a drink before sitting down to eat, so he stole a sip of Luffy's chocolate milk. The straw hat boy didn't even notice, but Ussop did and he made a face.  
>"S'gross." Ussop mumbled, spearing a clump of scrambled eggs off Zoro's plate. Zoro glared at him. "Hey! That's my breakfast, so, I'm eating it, not you!" Zoro scolded, putting his arms in front of his plate and pulling it closer to him.<br>"You were eating too slow! And, besides, I'm out of eggs." Ussop said, slowly sounding less-tired than he had moments ago. Sanji and Luffy laughed as the two proceeded to argue, (mostly consisting of Zoro intimidating the snot out of Ussop), while Nami was not amused with their antics.  
>"Shut up, all of you!" Nami snapped, extending her arms and knocking both Ussop and Zoro over the head with her fists.<br>"We weren't doing anything!" Luffy announced, jerking a thumb at Sanji and jabbing his other thumb into his own chest. Nami glared at him and he just laughed before continuing to eat his breakfast.  
>As they all finished up their meal and became more awake, they started to goof off more, even causing a few other agitated, not-morning-people people to shush them. The moment he was done eating, Sanji had wanted to go help out in the kitchen, since working diligently seemed to earn him points with the skinny old chef. But, his plans changed when Ussop and Luffy initiated a too-fun-to-pass-up game of hide-and-seek spanning four floors including the lobby.<br>They took off ahead of him, deciding unanimously that Sanji was 'it'. They'd asked Nami and Zoro if they wanted to play, but Zoro had only said 'sleep' and Nami had said she was meant to visit Nojiko at the park. Sanji almost wanted to go with Nami, but he figured she would have invited him if he was welcome to go.  
>So, after waiting a minute or two, Sanji started out into the vast ground-level, in search of a long nose and a straw hat.<br>It took him all of ten minutes to find Luffy, who was laughing too hard not to be found. Then, Luffy showed him exactly where Ussop was hiding, and they decided Ussop was 'it'. This repeated so many times that, eventually, they weren't sure what floor they were on, or who was 'it'.  
>Sanji was the best hider, he decided, since he hadn't seen or heard from Ussop or Luffy in a long time. He was hiding behind a shelf in the corner of a hallway, peeking out occasionally, just in case. He wasn't sure how long he'd been hiding. He kind of had to pee. Sanji peeked out again, looking to the right, and then the left. The coast was clear, so he tip-toed down the hall to the bathroom.<br>As he was coming out of the bathroom, Sanji looked both ways again. No sign of anybody. He smirked to himself and started down the hallway. He was the best hider, of that he was certain. So, he was going to change hiding spots so that he would eventually be found. He didn't want to be waiting forever, after all.  
>Somewhere along the way, Sanji discovered he was on the third floor. That was good. He knew the third floor better than Luffy and Ussop, since their rooms were on the second floor. He remembered a bunch of closets and empty rooms and was wondering which one would be the best hiding spot without being un-find-able.<br>"Oh! Luffy, I found him!" Ussop's voice echoed through the hall and Sanji looked up. Ahead of him, just coming out of the stairwell, was Ussop, holding the door open for Luffy. Both of them grinned at him and Sanji took that as his cue to run.  
>"I don't wanna be 'it' yet!" Sanji called, trying to run for the elevator, which was almost on the complete opposite side of the third floor.<br>"Hahaha, too bad!" Luffy's voice was just a few steps behind him so Sanji ran faster. He cast a glance over his shoulder to see if he'd lost them in the maze-like hallways and that's when he bumped into something, full-force.  
>Sanji fell back onto his behind and he heard his friends come to a dead stop at the end of the hall. "Oww..." Sanji grumbled, rubbing the spot that hit the ground first.<br>"Oh, Sanji-kun, are you alright?" Sanji looked up to see Makino hovering over him looking concerned. He grinned at her. "Yes, ma'am. I'm fine!" He chirped, trying not to upset her. Truthfully, his butt was going to be one big bruise for the next few days, he guessed.  
>"Watch where you're going, eggplant!"<br>Sanji frowned at the voice. He looked past Makino and noticed there was a man standing there. The man had a weird ponytail moustache, Sanji discovered right away, tilting his head. "That's weird." He mumbled to himself, before noticing that the man was wearing chef's whites, including a really tall *toque.  
>The man relatively glared down at Sanji for another moment before asking, "What's your name, kid?"<br>Sanji didn't answer. He just stared at the man with the weird moustache. Was he supposed to be the professional chef? He wasn't what Sanji had expected.  
>Makino helped Sanji stand up and stood of to the side of the staring match. "That's Sanji-kun," She told the chef, smiling a little. "He helps out in the kitchen quite often."<br>The chef's eyebrows raised and he puffed out his chest a little bit. "Is that so? You let a little runt like him cook?" The man asked, making a sort of odd smile. Sanji frowned at him. Makino was scrambling to come up with some sort of response when Sanji cut in; "One day, I'm gonna be the world's best chef!"  
>For whatever reason, Makino laughed and the man smiled wider, challenging. Sanji stood up a little straighter, determined to find out what was so funny. "What? I am!" He said, offended.<br>"You're a thousand years too early to say that to me, eggplant!" The chef laughed. Sanji glared at him, causing him to stop laughing. "And, you're a million years too early to take that kind of attitude with me!" The man shouted, taking a step forward.  
>Sanji would have stepped back in response, but he noticed something before he got the chance. "A peg leg?" Sanji asked, curious and a little scared. What could have happened to the chef that he needed a peg leg? Sanji looked up at the chef, who was making a weird face again.<br>"Er, Sanji-kun, it's probably best not to ask Zeff-san about his leg..." Makino interjected. She stepped between them and gently pushed Sanji to turn around. "You should be getting back to Luffy-chan and Ussop-kun."  
>Sanji hummed. "Zeff the chef? That sounds weird." Sanji commented, watching as a vein bulged in Zeff's forehead.<br>"What about 'Sanji'? Three o'clock? What kind of name is that?" Zeff countered, sniffing once, causing his moustache to twitch.  
>"Hey! I like my name!" Sanji defended, pouting slightly. "Besides, I'm still normal. Your moustache is goofy-looking!"<br>Zeff's eyes grew wider. "What about those stupid eyebrows, runt? You're a million years too early to insult my moustaches!" He shouted, jabbing a finger at Sanji.  
>"And you're too old to insult my eyebrows!" Sanji yelled back, pointing his significantly-less-threatening finger at Zeff.<br>"Sanji-kun!" Makino was aghast. She stepped in and, more forcefully than before, steered Sanji in the direction of Luffy and Ussop, who were peering around the corner, watching the scene unfold. Sanji and Zeff had a mini staring match before Sanji went off with Luffy and Ussop.  
>Once they were a good ways down the hall, Ussop couldn't hold it in any longer; "I can't believe you just fought with that scary old man!" He shrieked quickly, grabbing Sanji by the shoulders and shaking him.<br>Luffy threw his head back and laughed. "I thought it was awesome!" Luffy announced, patting Sanji on the back. Sanji grinned at him. "Yeah! I wasn't even scared! Actually..." Sanji paused, his smile fading. "Actually, I think I know that guy from somewhere."  
>"What, really?"<br>"Yeah... I'm not sure. I thought I knew him. Don't know from where, though."  
>Sanji was trying to think of how he might know a peg-legged chef, but he didn't come up with anything. He wasn't sure how he knew that weird moustache, but even the name rang a bell. Zeff. Albeit, a quiet bell, but he still recognized it. Maybe he'd heard of the man's restaurant? He wouldn't be surprised if that was it. Still, it bugged Sanji. He considered himself as having a pretty good memory, so, he thought he'd remember if he'd met Zeff the chef before. He should remember, he decided, but he just didn't.<br>Even when he was in the kitchen, doing dishes for the volunteer chefs, all dressed in pristine whites, Sanji was still trying to figure out where he knew Zeff from. He couldn't come up with any other explanation besides over-hearing someone talking about Zeff's restaurant, but that didn't seem right. Long after he'd been sent out of the kitchen for the night, Sanji was puzzling over the matter. He told Zoro about it while they were brushing their teeth in the bathroom.  
>"I dunno. I don't really pay attention to that kind of stuff." Zoro said, putting his toothbrush away and rinsing out his mouth one handful of water at a time.<br>Sanji raised an eyebrow. "You mean, people? That kind of stuff? Of course you don't." Sanji rolled his eyes, looking at his tongue in the mirror. After a moment, he nodded and rinsed out his toothbrush, following Zoro out of the room. "Maybe I'm just mistaking him for someone else?" Sanji suggested.  
>Zoro shrugged. "Yeah, maybe."<br>Sanji decided to let it go, finally, as he climbed into bed. It had been a long, exciting day and he was beyond tired. There wasn't any need to keep thinking about anything other than the feel of his relatively-comfortable bed.

*** Toque - A toque is what you call those lovely chef hats! You've seen Zeff's, haven't you? It's sooooo tall!**  
><strong>Also something I thought I should add, Sanji's name does actually mean three o'clock. San, meaning 'three', and Ji, being something like 'hour'. I'm not really clear on that. xD<strong>  
><strong>Ara? Sanji knows Zeff from somewhere? Or, maybe he doesn't? But, what if he does? Where does he know Zeff from? My question mark key hates me... xP I am really happy with how this chapter turned out! I hoped to add more, but that seemed like a good stopping point. Lol. What's your theory about the Zeff thing? Tell me in a review or a PM!<strong>  
><strong>Sayonara~<strong>


	17. New

**I'm pondering advertising for my stories on Gaia... I already have an account and all that, so, it'd be easy. Not sure if I wanna, though. Not a huge fan of advertising for myself. xD Anyway, sorry this is a little late. I am trying to get an update out every Saturday, just so you know!**

Luffy and Ussop burst out of the tall grass laughing and shouting at the same time. The kids in the yard paid them little to no attention, as they were always doing weird things. Even Sanji and Nami at the swings ignored them save for a glance.

"Guys! You have to check this out!" Luffy shouted, racing Ussop to the swings and tackling the first one in sight. Ussop tackled the swing next to Luffy, shivering and making a weird face. "No way! That was disgusting! No, disgusting would puke at the sight of it!"

Sanji, who was pushing Nami while she read a book on her swing, looked over at them. "What is it?" He asked, cautiously. They had been at the clubhouse, after all, and that place wasn't known for being boring.

Luffy grinned at him. "You have to come with us and see it! Ussop, don't tell him!" The straw hat said. Sanji wasn't sure if he was that curious. When Luffy and Ussop were excited/grossed out by something, it was usually something strange that no one would ever want to see but them. Last time, it was a dog chasing, and eventually catching, a cat. That was funny until it wasn't.

"Okay, then. Where is it?" Sanji asked. Nami cleared her throat, kicking her feet slightly. Sanji realized he'd stopped pushing her and started up again with a quiet apology. He didn't know why he was apologizing; Nami was perfectly capable of swinging on her own. Maybe she'd brain-washed him? That must be it. Still, he kept pushing her.

Ussop and Luffy shared a look. "Uh..." Luffy couldn't think of anything to say, so Ussop cut in; "You have to come with us to see!" He shouted, pointing a finger up and raising his eyebrows, matter-of-factly. A skeptical blonde gave them both questioning looks.

"If it's gross, I don't want to." Sanji told them.

"It's not that gross! It's actually cool!" Luffy said, kicking off the mulch and swinging with his stomach on the seat of the swing.

Ussop grimaced. "Not really. It's... it's disgusting, actually, it's really gross." Sanji believed Ussop over Luffy on that matter.

"Tell me what it is and I might go." Sanji told them, pushing Nami with a little more force, earning a surprised squeak from her as she held on tightly to her book.

The other two boys shared a look again. "Okay, but you have to come if we tell you what it is!" Ussop bartered. Sanji nodded in agreement and Luffy burst; "It's possums! There's two possums fighting!" Luffy announced, putting on his signature broad grin.

Sanji was shocked, briefly, before he raised a questioning curly eyebrow. "That's what you want me to see? Possums fighting? Those things are just creepy dragon-rats. Why would I want to watch them fight?" The blonde asked. He was marginally interested. He'd never really seen two dragon-rats in the same place at the same time, so he'd always figured there was only one in existence. Not that the world needed more than one possum.

Luffy seemed to deflate. "Well... because they're kicking each other's butts." He mumbled, pouting pitifully. Sanji sighed. "Okay, fine. I'll go look for just a minute. After that, I'm leaving." Sanji said, nodding once. Nami closed her book with a loud clap and looked fiercely at Sanji, then at Luffy. "I guess I'll go, too." She huffed, sliding off her swing and adjusting her dress.

* * *

><p>Sanji realized they were going to the clubhouse before they even reached the chicken-wire gate at the back of the yard. He had mixed feelings swirling around in his stomach about going back there. He had been sure he was over whatever it was that had terrified him the first time he went there, but he hadn't been back since the time he helped Luffy and Ussop clean the place up. At that time he was positive that nothing bad had happened or ever would happen at the clubhouse.<p>

But, on the way to the clubhouse for the third official time, following Luffy, Ussop and Nami, Sanji found himself with an uneasy, jittery feeling implanted deep within his body. He didn't know what had changed in the time he'd been away. Surely they'd altered 'the shack' enough for it to no longer remind him of anything bad? He thought they had. It had been a pretty big clean-up, after all, and the place practically sparkled. The only room they didn't get to was the little living area, but that didn't remind him of anything bad.

Sanji was very confused and very nervous as they climbed through the fence, walked down the path and up to the short square building with the blue roof, faded green shudders and no door. Everyone seemed to have forgotten their previous discretion when dealing with Sanji and the clubhouse. They were all laughing and smiling and he half-hoped they'd go back to being concerned for him.

"Come on! They're inside!" Luffy shout-whispered, waving for everyone to follow him.

Ussop hung back a little bit and whispered to Sanji. "He's way too excited about this."

Sanji agreed fully. "Yeah... Wonder what he does when he isn't being a complete dumbbell?"

"Eating." Ussop stated. He and Sanji laughed at that as they stepped up to the doorway and Luffy looked back at them. "What's funny? I wanna know!" He said quickly. Sanji and Ussop just shook their heads and Luffy pouted, but the straw hat still led them inside.

There wasn't a possum to be seen.

"Uh, Luffy..." Sanji began, but his words just stopped. He wasn't sure if Luffy had lied or if the animals had just moved on.

"Awww! They were just here, I swear!" Luffy was turning in circles, looking everywhere in the room for the creatures. Ussop sighed, relieved. "Good! They were scary and gross, so, I'm glad they're gone!"

Luffy turned on him, pouting again. "Why? It was cool!"

"I just said why!"

"But, they were cool!"

Nami sighed and righted a little chair so she could sit in it. She opened her book to a spot near the middle and Sanji noticed then that she was reading a rather large book. He didn't bother to ask what it was, since she looked ticked off. Sanji couldn't blame her. He was kind of annoyed, too.

Sanji didn't want to stay in the building long enough to allow the feeling in the pit of his stomach to develop, so he started to leave. Luffy and Ussop didn't notice him, they were too busy fighting. Nami wasn't paying attention to anything but her book, so she didn't notice him. Zoro wasn't there so he didn't notice him. No one paid Sanji any attention as, when he turned to leave, he spotted something on the floor that caused a painful flood of memories.

Before he could fully understand what he was doing, Sanji had started running. Not just regular, 'I want to go home now' running, full-blown 'scared for my life' running. He heard his friends behind him, far behind him, yelling for him to come back, yelling apologies, but he didn't understand anything other than the need to get away.

Sanji's lungs were burning, his eyes were stinging, and he vaguely registered pain in various places as he catapulted through the fence, back into the tall grass, in through the back door and up the stairs until he reached the third floor. He threw open the door to his and Zoro's room, didn't even check to see if his roommate was there, just slammed the door and curled up on the bottom bunk. He pulled the covers up over his head and began to sob.

He bit his bottom lip and turned his head into the pillow to muffle the sounds, hoping no one would come looking for him. Hoping no one would see him while he was broken.

Not even a minute passed before the door opened. "Sanji?" It was Zoro's voice and Sanji mentally cursed his luck. He didn't want Zoro to see him crying. Not again. He held his breath and tried his best to stop crying, but that only made it worse.

Zoro sat down on the edge of Sanji's bed and pulled at the blankets, but Sanji kept a tight hold on them. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" Zoro was asking. He didn't know what to do. At least the last time Sanji had cried Zoro had known partially why. But, Sanji couldn't have had a nightmare, because he had been out with the others. Zoro felt fear rising in him as he pulled at the blankets again, trying to uncover Sanji's head.

"Oi! What's going on? You have to tell me so I can fix it, or kick its ass, or something!" Zoro tried again, panicking. Sanji just sobbed in response and Zoro started getting angry. "Stop being difficult and let me help you!" He shouted. Sanji visibly flinched, crying even more and Zoro didn't know what to do.

Zoro yanked on the covers suddenly and they flew from Sanji's grasp, half into the floor. Now that Zoro could see him, Zoro's heart broke a little. Sanji's lips were quivering, his tears spilling everywhere, the look on his face filled with terror and sadness and pain and Zoro felt even more useless.

It took him a second to gather his wits before he could speak again. "W-what happened? Are you okay?" Zoro asked, eyes wide and looking over the many scratches up and down Sanji's arms. Sanji shook his head and Zoro started to hate himself for whatever had happened. He should have gone with them.

"N-nobody did... a-anything!" Sanji managed to say. Zoro didn't believe him. "Tell me what happened!" Zoro snapped. Sanji sniffed, shaking his head a resounding 'no'. "Tell me or I'll get Makino! Or, anyone! I'll have to take you to the nurses or something!" Zoro threatened.

Sanji sat up quickly, holding back a terrible sound, and shook his head. "No!" He protested. It sounded more like a whine than anything, which made Zoro kind of want to apologize. "D-don't tell... anyone!" Sanji cried, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his left hand while holding himself upright with the other hand.

Zoro reached out to help him, not even sure what he could do to help, but Sanji batted his hands away. "You c-can't tell a-anyone!" Sanji blubbered, lowering his head. Zoro nodded. "Okay, fine! I promise, I won't tell anyone! Just tell me what happened!"

"I-i-it was a l-long time ago..." Sanji began, trying to compose himself but failing miserably. "I just- the... the clubhouse, I- I'm never going back there!"

"What happened at the clubhouse?" Zoro asked, confused. Hadn't Sanji just said it was a long time ago? They'd only known about the clubhouse for a short amount of time.

Sanji took several deep breaths before he spoke again. "No, just... I remember... when I was really little... I used to live in a house with a garage..." Sanji kept pausing to sniffle. "It had white walls and a-a stone floor. And, a black door that led into the house. I remember playing in there... and... That was the first time... that I can remember..."

Zoro gulped. He didn't like where the story was going, but he wouldn't interrupt. Zoro wasn't sure that he wanted to know whatever Sanji was about to tell him, but he could recall a time when he said 'I will know the whole story'. He did still want to know what all had happened to Sanji.

Sanji's bottom lip was trembling horribly, so he paused again. "You remember w-when I told everyone about... w-why I'm here?" Sanji asked. Zoro nodded readily and Sanji made an apologetic face. "I don't- I probably shouldn't tell you... I don't want to- to scare anyone." Sanji said, pitifully.

"Don't you dare! You can't not tell me!" Zoro roared, causing Sanji to jump slightly, narrowly avoiding hitting his head on the underside of Zoro's bed. Fresh tears spilled over through Sanji's dark blonde eyelashes and Zoro calmed down a bit. He just wanted Sanji to stop crying and tell him what was wrong.

Sanji stared straight into Zoro's eyes as he spoke, "I got beat up in the garage while Mom was sick so she wouldn't know." Sanji said, in a relatively level voice. Then, the tears came again. Zoro was angry and upset and he really wished Sanji would just stop crying and be a boy for a minute or two so he could finish the story.

But, Sanji wasn't going to finish the story. He'd already decided that Zoro didn't need, or even want, to hear the rest. Zoro wasn't happy with him, Sanji knew, and that only made things worse. Maybe he was overreacting? After all, he had plenty of memories of being beat up, what was one more?

No. This one was much, much different.

Sanji had thought that his dad only started to hurt him after his mom had passed away. The more he remembered, the more he knew how wrong he was. He could remember things as far back as when he was four years old, and even back then, he had those sorts of encounters with his father. His mother had known, he realized. He could remember it. That's why they moved into a house without a garage. The fact that his sick mother, whom his father loved beyond all reason, had walked into the garage just as Sanji had been knocked to the floor, bleeding and bruised, completely horrified Sanji.

His mother had always been a strong woman, he remembered, but that day she had cried and screamed at his father until he promised to never hurt Sanji again. But, that only lasted so long. Sanji never wanted to think that his mother would leave it at only a promise. He would have hoped that she would have the good sense to leave his father after that incident. What kind of a man would beat up his four-year-old child, anyway?

Sanji didn't want to think about it anymore. He didn't want to know what he knew. But, there was no going back. The memories had been let out of whatever invisible cage they had been in, and now he knew. He wasn't sure what could be done with the knowledge. Nothing could be changed. All that was left to do was move on, and Sanji didn't feel like he ever would, at that rate.

"Sanji... What-?"

"Blood. In the clubhouse... Luffy said possums were fighting in there, so, I guess that's why..." Sanji interrupted Zoro's inquiry, not really wanting to hear if that was the right answer to whatever he was about to ask.

Zoro frowned. "Don't go to the clubhouse again." He ordered, as if that wasn't Sanji's plan already.

Silence for a minute, before Zoro spoke up again. "Why did it bother you so much?" He asked, somewhat hesitant. Blue eyes met his and Zoro knew Sanji wasn't happy he asked that question.

"It feels new." Sanji said simply, quietly. He wiped the streaks of tears from his face, noticing suddenly that he'd stopped crying. "Like it happened recently."

"Sorry." Zoro muttered, picking at the sheet and keeping his head down. Sanji nodded, though Zoro couldn't see it. It wasn't Zoro's fault. Sanji couldn't even pretend to be mad at him, even though Zoro had forced him to talk. He hadn't really given much information, anyway. He didn't want anyone to know the details, ever. The awful, bloody scars hidden beneath the surface were going to remain exactly so.

"... Has this happened before?" Zoro asked. Sanji had to think for a minute before shaking his head. "First time. I don't think I've ever been at a place that reminded me of another place where bad stuff happened to me." Sanji said, a little sarcastic at the end. Zoro nodded, making a mental note that he had, in fact, handled the situation.

Then, things got awkward. Neither of them knew what to do. Sanji wanted to crawl into a hole for the rest of eternity because he'd cried shamelessly in front of Zoro. Zoro wanted to disappear into oblivion because he'd actually wanted to hug Sanji during his whole episode. Luckily, that urge hadn't reached the surface. Hugging was not something Roronoa Zoro did. Period.

"So, uh..."

"... Yeah."

"Silence?"

"Agreed. No one hears of this."

With that, Sanji left for the bathroom to wash his face before the others found him looking like he'd just cried out all the liquid that had ever been in his body. Zoro sat still on the edge of Sanji's bed, contemplating the past ten or so minutes. He didn't know what to do about any of it. He had to come up with something, some way that Sanji could be better.

Zoro wondered if he could teach Sanji to be tough. Zoro was tough. Everybody took him seriously, and he wasn't afraid of anything. So, maybe he could make Sanji like him? That could work. Nobody could hurt him or make him cry ever again. Yeah.

That sounded to Zoro like a very good plan.

**No stars? I have to start putting in some French. Sanji comes across as speaking French in the manga and anime, so... nyeh, just another element to put in later. Anyway, I barely held myself together while writing Sanji crying... he's just so cute and pitiful and Zoro's training better work out! I don't wanna make Sanji-kun cry anymore... TuT Well, unless it's Zoro making him cry. That would be dramatic and delicious. O,~**


	18. Problem

The day Zoro decided to initiate training; it began to pour endless gallons of rain. Actually, it was more like the very second he decided he would train Sanji that day, the thunder had crashed and the bottom dropped out. He wasn't usually one to look for or believe in signs, but the storm gave him a bad feeling. And then he couldn't find Sanji. Anywhere.

What was it with omens and timing?

Zoro had asked around and everyone had told him that Sanji had interviews that day. So many, in fact, that the skinny old chef said Sanji didn't have time to help with breakfast or lunch. Some of the kitchen hands had asked Zoro whether Sanji would be back or not, which had confused him greatly, but he just said, "Yeah. It's Sanji, so, he'll be back soon."

Honestly, Zoro was starting to doubt that his plan would come to light that day. He decided to wait by the interview hall, though, so that, when Sanji finally did have free time, he would be able to get to him before something else happened to distract the blonde from their ultimate mission. (Which was to de-wimpify Sanji, even though Zoro wouldn't tell him that to his face.)

Zoro sat outside the interview hall in one of the ugly wooden chairs, arms crossed. He was trying to hear what was going on in the interview rooms, but all he could hear was indistinct babble. He couldn't even be sure it was Sanji's interview that he was hearing, either. Stupid walls.

"What are you doing out here?"

Zoro didn't jump or even look up. "Waiting." He said, glancing at Luffy out of the corner of his eye. He hadn't told anyone else about his plan to train Sanji. He thought it might be a good idea to tell Luffy, since Luffy was the Captain and all, but he wasn't sure. He considered the task to be his and his alone.

Luffy smiled at Zoro and pulled one of the other wooden chairs up to the wall beside Zoro's and flopped down in it. "What are we waiting on?" Luffy asked, swinging his legs and grinning at Zoro. The older boy raised an eyebrow. He figured that, if he were going to tell Luffy about his plan, then would be a good time.

"Sanji." Zoro said. He didn't know how to add to it and Luffy just made an 'o' with his mouth and laughed, so Zoro decided that answer was good enough for the time being.

"He's got a meeting?" Luffy asked, not even slightly worried.

"A lot of them, from what I hear."

"Hmm..."

Zoro looked over at Luffy. "Oh, no. That's your thinking face. Stop making that face." Zoro said, mildly concerned as Luffy continued to make his thinking face. That face was never a good sign. Luffy always came up with stupid ideas when he started thinking.

Luffy scratched at his head just under the straw hat and hummed, eyebrow rising in thought. "Ya know... if he's got a lot of interviews, that must mean he's pretty weird."

"I already knew that." Zoro said flatly. Then he thought about it and raised an eyebrow. "Wait a second, it could mean that everyone really likes him!" Zoro thought, turning around in his seat to look down the hall. No one had come out of the interview rooms since he'd been sitting there, so Zoro was starting to get a little confused. Maybe Sanji wasn't in there?

"What? Well, yeah, Sanji's cool..." Luffy went from shocked to agreeing in no time, nodding his head. "He lets me have some food out of the kitchen when I'm really hungry."

Zoro decided he wouldn't respond to that. Luffy was always thinking with his stomach, even when the matters at hand were important. Well, not that Zoro particularly minded Sanji's privilege to take some food from the kitchen when it wasn't meal time. It was actually kind of nice, but that wasn't the point. Zoro couldn't think of what the point was in a decent amount of time, though, so he just settled back into his seat and waited.

Luffy kept talking about random things, mostly stuff that he said Ace said, but Zoro only nodded or 'hmm'd when it sounded like the right time. Luffy was a good friend and all, but Zoro preferred silence to babbling any day.

They heard the sound of a sliding door, or, at least, Zoro heard the sliding door. Grown-ups' voices. Then, a couple walked out of the hall, talking to each other as they went over to the reception desk. The couple exchanged words with the lady at the desk, and then left, all smiles. A moment later, Sanji came out of the interview hall, wearing a tired expression.

"Oh, Sanji! We were just waiting for you!" Luffy announced, way too loud right in Zoro's ear. Sanji turned towards them and yawned as he spoke, "Hi guys... You didn't have to wait on me, you know."

Zoro frowned. "How many interviews have you had? A thousand?"

"I'd say a ka-trillion!" Luffy laughed, pointing at Sanji's face. "You look really tired!"

Sanji raised a sarcastic eyebrow at him, as if to say, 'No, duh?' Instead of voicing that, he answered Zoro's question. "That was the eighteenth in two days... Uwaaaah~ I think I'm coming down with something horrible... like... popular." Sanji complained, yawning between sentences.

Luffy laughed and Zoro snorted. "You sound like Ussop, now, except that he'd probably say that he was popular to begin with." Zoro commented, and Sanji laughed, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, he would say something like that, wouldn't he?" Sanji asked, tired amusement lacing his words.

"Hey, you should get some sleep! Everyone's going out to the park, later!" Luffy told Sanji, grinning. Sanji yawned again, as if on cue, and nodded. "Okay... Oh, wait, what were you guys sitting out here for? Did you need to talk to me?"

Luffy shrugged and looked to Zoro. Zoro seemed frozen for a second before he shook his head. Sanji smiled again and turned towards the stairs. "I'm gonna go sleep, then." He called to them, without turning around or stopping. He wasn't in any particular hurry, but he would like to be well-rested in time for going to the park.

Sanji pushed open the door and cleared the first flight of stairs with little difficulty, but then his feet were dragging. His eyes were half-closed, his hair in his face. He'd never really used the hand-rail before, but he decided it was a good idea to accept the guidance it offered.

"Geez, you look like you rose from the grave."

Sanji blinked, and then turned around. He hadn't realized anyone was following him, but there Zoro stood. Sanji knew he should have seen him before then, since the steps echo horribly and each flight of stairs turns back and goes in the opposite direction of the previous flight, just up. "Uh... thanks?"

Zoro gave him a weird look and gestured towards the stairs. "You going up?" He asked, impatiently. Sanji frowned slightly, but nodded, continuing up the second flight. That time, he could definitely hear footsteps behind him.

For the rest of the way up to the third floor, Sanji tried to figure out why he got the feeling that something was wrong. It wasn't a strong feeling, more like an itch, but it was still there by the time they reached room 3-22. He didn't know what to think of it. Was it about the park later? The interviews? Helping in the kitchen? He couldn't figure it out. _A mystery feeling!_

Sanji opened the door and trudged over to his bed, falling onto it and narrowly missing a hit on the head from the metal frame on Zoro's bed. He toed off his white canvas shoes and snuggled into the pillow. It was rather warm in the room, despite the heavy rain outside, so Sanji ignored his blanket. "I'm gonna sleep for three days!" Sanji told no one in particular, although Zoro was standing in the room.

"Don't sleep _that_ long!" Zoro scolded. Sanji heard two consecutive thuds and sleepily processed that Zoro had literally kicked his shoes off. "I still have something to talk to you about..."

That feeling Sanji had crept up to the back of his neck and made him shudder. He groaned and opened one eye to look at Zoro. "What is it?" He asked. He was exhausted, but he had to know what it was that Zoro wanted to talk about. It sounded important and, even if it was only important to Zoro, Sanji still wanted to know.

"Just go to sleep, idiot." Zoro grumbled, standing between the dresser and the window.

"Don't tell me what to do, Moss-head." Sanji responded, frowning. He felt slightly less like sleeping, since Zoro told him to do it and insulted him.

Zoro glared at him. "Who you calling moss-head, Target face?" Zoro snapped, causing Sanji to jump a little.

The blonde was confused as to how it happened, how they started fighting, but he just couldn't stand Zoro's tone. "Don't call me Target face!"

"Why not? 'Cause you'll cry at me?"

Sanji gasped and stared at Zoro with wide eyes. "You stupid plant!" Sanji shouted, sitting upright and snatching his shoes off the floor. He thought about throwing them at Zoro, but decided against it with much difficulty. He slipped his shoes on quickly and hopped off his bed, waffling between kicking Zoro in the face and just storming out.

"You can't- you can't- just... Stupid Marimo!" Sanji stumbled over his words, glaring at Zoro.

"M... Marimo? What the hell is a Marimo?" Zoro asked, offended and confused at the same time.

Sanji looked at Zoro sharply and his frown deepened. "It's seaweed. And, it's probably nicer than you." He said sourly, standing up a little straighter. Suddenly, Zoro grinned at him. "That's good! I didn't think it would happen, but you're improving!" Zoro said, proudly.

"... What?" Sanji asked, feeling suddenly angrier than he had been a moment ago.

"You're usually such a wimp, so I thought I'd... What? Something wrong?" Zoro's pride in himself for being such a good teacher already began to drain away as he watched Sanji's face. He was still glaring, undeniably upset. Zoro didn't know why he would be upset. Sanji usually didn't mind arguing if it wasn't too serious.

Sanji started to shake his head, slowly, at first, but gradually faster. "I can't believe you..." Sanji said, almost to himself, before he left the room. Zoro followed him, confusedly. "I don't understand... what can't you believe? I'm trying to help you!" Zoro called, but Sanji was already hurrying down the stairs at a surprising pace for someone who was practically asleep on his feet a moment ago.

"Leave me alone, Zoro!"

* * *

><p>Somehow, someway, Sanji had escaped. Zoro didn't know where he was, or anything, really, but he wasn't too worried. Well, no, he really didn't have a choice. He could either worry, or not worry, but that wouldn't make Sanji suddenly show up and completely explain his confusing thought process.<p>

Zoro hadn't meant to step on any landmines, he really hadn't. The opportunity to initiate training in an ingenious way just presented itself, wrapped in, what seemed at the time, a bow of awesome. But, he wasn't so sure anymore, judging by the reaction he got from Sanji. Well, he still thought it was pretty cool, starting an argument the way he had. At least he knew how to press Sanji's buttons.

He yawned, stretching his arms and legs out as far as they would go, before settling back into his mattress and closing his eyes. Zoro was bored and there wasn't anything else to do, so, sleeping seemed like a good idea. Never hurt to get a little power nap.

-~_Switching_~-

The rain hammered down on the building, pelting the windows in a practically continuous stream. The thunder crackled loudly, shaking the floor, the furniture and the walls of the room around Sanji. He blinked at the window, tired, but not willing to sleep. No. Sanji didn't know why, he just couldn't let himself fall asleep. It wouldn't work, he knew, because he was too mad.

Zoro was supposed to be his friend, wasn't he? No, Sanji didn't think so. Not after that. He didn't understand their dynamic. Why did Zoro think it was okay to insult him like that? To make fun of him for something he already felt bad about? That isn't what friends do, Sanji was certain. So, he wouldn't be Zoro's friend.

He tried for all he was worth to tell himself it was fine, but it wasn't. Zoro had sounded exactly like the kids at his old school. He felt like calling the other boy 'Nakama' was pushing it, even. When their fights had happened on accident, that had been fine, but deliberately making fun of him? No. Sanji couldn't think of anything to say but 'no'.

He didn't know what he would do about it, though. He didn't have anything that he knew would make Zoro upset like Zoro made him upset. He could make him mad, no problem, but it's not the same. He didn't know enough about Zoro to really piss him off. Though he had done it before, Sanji couldn't remember what to do to really make Zoro angry.

Sanji frowned. Stupid Zoro. Making him think so hard about revenge and ex-friends. Maybe he'd even request a change of roommates? ... No, never mind, he couldn't do that. Not on the off-chance that his new roommate could be worse than Zoro. Not that he could really picture that, since the staff would put him with a boy about his age, and no boys his age acted like Zoro. Like stupid, mean, not-friend Zoro.

With an odd squeak that made him jump, the door opened. Sanji sat straight up and waited for something terrible to come through the door, but one of the volunteer women just poked her head inside. "Oh, Sanji-chan! I was looking for Nami-chan, actually, but Makino-san is looking for you. You ought to go check it out!" She said, waving for Sanji to come with her. "I'll take you to where Makino-san is waiting. Oh, by the way, do you know where Nami-chan is?"

The far-too-perky volunteer lady smiled at him expectantly, but Sanji just shook his head. He actually knew exactly where Nami was, but she told him not to tell anyone, so he wouldn't. She'd gone out to 'enjoy the weather' with her sister, as she had put it. Sanji thought it was good that she was having fun, and she did let him hide out in her room, so, he owed it to Nami not to tell anyone.

"Ah, okay. Well, if you haven't seen her, I don't know where else to look." The volunteer lady looked confused and a little depressed as she said those words, her shoulders slumping.

Sanji thought he'd try to make her feel a little better. "Uh... Nami likes the library." He said, looking up at the volunteer woman. She instantly straightened up and beamed at him. "Thanks, kid! I'll miss you. Okay, Makino-san's in that room over there, the one with the 'office' sign on it." The woman said, pointing to the door she was talking about.

That confused Sanji a little. 'I'll miss you'? That was a weird thing to say, considering she didn't know him, and he wasn't going anywhere. He shrugged. The volunteers were usually a little weird, so he didn't think much of it as he walked down the interview hall to the very last door at the direct end of the hall with a cloudy glass window. The word 'office' was painted in sharp black letters in the middle of the cloudy glass window.

Sanji was pretty sure he'd never seen that door before, let alone been in that room. He hadn't seen an office in the orphanage until then, when he was paying attention to that door at the end of the hall, the only one in the hall with a doorknob and a lock, instead of sliding doors.

When he got up to the door, he could hear muffled voices inside. For a second, Sanji thought about turning away, coming back later. Maybe not even coming back, maybe letting Makino come get him. A moment later, he straightened up. No, he would do it. He would definitely bravely knock on the door and walk into the room and ask what Makino wanted him for.

Sanji rapped on the door with his knuckles briefly, his stomach twisting nervously. Okay, so, not brave, but he still did it. That counts for something, right?

"Come in!" Makino's voice from inside the office was happy. Sanji took a deep breath and turned the knob. He opened the door slowly and poked his head inside. There was a man and a woman sitting in two leather-upholstered waiting room chairs on the side of a big desk that was closest to him. On the other side of the wide, light brown wooden desk, covered with paper work, a swivel lamp and three coffee cups, sat Makino, smiling warmly.

All three grown-ups were looking at Sanji and that made his words shrivel up in his throat. Fortunately, Makino spoke first. "Sanji-kun, you have good timing! Do you remember these nice people?" She asked, gesturing towards the couple with one hand and holding a fountain pen in the other.

Sanji looked nervously at the couple and he vaguely recalled having an interview with them. He couldn't remember when, though he knew it was at least two weeks ago. "Yes. I remember, a little..." He mumbled. He didn't know why he needed to remember them. They were nice and all, very friendly people, but he didn't think he'd be seeing them again. _Unless..._

"Good news, Sanji-kun; they've decided to adopt you!"

**:O Oh noes! I didn't want to end it there, but it seemed like a good cliff-hanger. Unfortunately, it was like I was cliff-hanging myself (is a thing?)! Hahaha, have to wait until next week to see what I'm going to have happen... Sorry! xD**

**I almost didn't put an author's note, btw, because I thought it would be more dramatic if I didn't. But, I got one!**


	19. Situation

**Early update for y'alls! Yeah, yeah, I said Friday night, I meant Friday night. Don't get used to it. xD**

Sanji's jaw dropped.

The grown-ups laughed at him, not unkindly, but he felt like it was evil.

The woman beckoned him forward, smiling at him, but he didn't move. "What's the matter? Are you really that surprised?" She asked, still smiling.

Sanji nodded slowly, completely at a loss.

They all laughed again and he frowned. "For real?" He asked.

The man nodded, also smiling at him. "Yeah. As of Saturday, you'll officially have a place in our home."

Sanji's brain started to work again for a moment and he realized it was Thursday. _That's two days... Two days?_! Sanji gasped, spinning on his heel and darting down the hall. He had to tell his friends. He had to tell them and get them to help him not get adopted, to help him and save him so they all could be together.

"There you are! We're going to the park soon, Sanji!" Luffy suddenly appeared in front of him and Sanji nearly knocked him over. "Whoa! What's wrong? Are you racing somebody? I don't see anyone... I guess you win!" Luffy laughed.

Sanji took a step back from them and had to catch his breath, not realizing how far he'd run. He tried to tell Luffy his situation, but it only came out as an ugly wheezing sound. Luffy laughed at him again and put a hand on his back. "Calm down, Sanji. You're so weird." Luffy said, grinning as he pat Sanji on the back.

"Th... thanks." Sanji breathed, bending over slightly and bracing his hands on his knees. "I hafta... hafta tell you something!" Sanji gasped, looking up at Luffy through his hair. Luffy's grin dropped and he looked confused. "What's the matter? Did Zoro do something?"

Sanji leaned away from Luffy a little and raised an eyebrow. "No, why would you... Well, he did, but... How did you... No! No, Luffy, that's not it!" Sanji shook his head, hoping to clear it of distractions. "It's really important!"

Luffy nodded, seriously, although he looked kind of relieved. Sanji decided he'd figure out the relieved thing later, after he told Luffy and they told the others and-

"Oh, hi you guys!" Ussop greeted, hooking his arms around Luffy and Sanji's shoulders and pulling them in. "Ready to go? We have to get going so we can meet Nami there!"

Luffy laughed, throwing his arm over Ussop's shoulder as well. "Yeah! Oh, actually, Sanji was trying to say something." Luffy and Ussop both looked at Sanji expectantly, grinning. "What is it? If you have to go to the bathroom, now's the time!" Ussop said, busting out laughing with Luffy again, though Sanji didn't think it was very funny at all.

"No- you guys, that's not..." Sanji paused, brow furrowed as he looked at Luffy and Ussop's smiling faces. They were so darn happy. They couldn't wait to go out and play at the park. Sanji swallowed hard and forced his face to relax a little. "I... I, uh... I was wondering why we're going to the park in the pouring rain?"

Sanji could have slapped himself. Why couldn't he just say it? He wanted them to help him, he desperately wanted to know if there was any way to get out of being adopted, but why couldn't he say that?

Luffy and Ussop shared a look and then looked back at Sanji. "Isn't it obvious? If it was sunny out, they'd be watching to make sure nobody goes anywhere without an escort or something." Ussop said, nodding. Luffy agreed, grinning. "Yeah! This way we get to have a secret adventure all by ourselves!"

The blonde boy gave a half-hearted smile. "Sounds cool. We're gonna meet Nami at the park?"

Ussop and Luffy cheered and started down the hall, still keeping their arms around each other's shoulders. Sanji kept up with them, but shrank away from their hold. He could feel the words, the right ones, stuck in his throat. The truth sat there like a boulder on his chest and he didn't know why he couldn't just say it. It wasn't hard, he'd been talking since he was two, but he couldn't do it.

He strayed a little farther behind when Zoro joined them at the back door of the orphanage. Sanji did his best to will himself invisible, but Luffy and Ussop kept talking to him. Zoro didn't look sorry, didn't apologize or anything. Sanji wondered if they would miss him if he left. He could picture Ussop and Luffy and Nami sad, or even crying about it, but Zoro? No, Sanji was certain Zoro wouldn't miss him. He probably wouldn't miss Zoro either.

Zoro had swiped some raincoats from somewhere, Sanji didn't know where, and passed them out as they filed out the back door and onto the stony ground. The boys all put on their various raincoats, two yellow ones, a red one and a black one with grey stripes. They crept around the building, keeping close to the wall and ducking under windows. Sanji pulled his yellow coat closer around himself and looked down at the muddy path as he walked, carefully avoiding puddles.

He felt sick, knowing what he did and not telling anyone, but, the more he thought about it, the more it made sense to him. _Why tell them now? Everyone's excited and we're going to have fun... I can be a wet blanket later._ Sanji thought. His arms and legs were shaking a little, even though it was plenty warm out.

"Nami said she would be waiting at the picnic tables for us!" Luffy called, walking backwards so he could look at the other boys. His voice was barely heard over the roar of the rain, even though it looked like he was putting all his weight into the words. He was grinning and saying something else, but Sanji couldn't hear him. The sound of the rain against the hood of his rain coat was too loud. Sanji tried to read his lips, but after a minute he gave up. Luffy was, for the first time since Sanji had known him, talking too quietly to be heard.

They followed the road, walking on the side of the street when the sidewalk disappeared, until they came to a tall wooden gate with a metal sign chained on the doors of the gate to hold them shut. The gate was only long enough to block the road leading into the park, so they just walked around it and down into the squishy wet grass. Sanji felt a bit sadder as muddy water soaked through his shoes and socks, making even walking on the pavement feel soggy.

Sanji looked up from the ground and peered through the grey sheets of heavy rain, wondering how he would tell his friends about the current calamity that was disrupting his life and his peace, when he caught sight of Nami and another girl. They were sitting at one of six green-painted metal picnic tables, three side-by-side on either side, with a large strip of wide open space between both rows, under a large roof that was supported by four concrete beams, one in each corner. The ground under the picnic tables was paved, until just a bit beyond each pillar, creating a near-perfect rectangle of dry ground.

Once he got over gawking at the large open space, Sanji looked at the girl that was sitting across from Nami at one of the middle tables. She had short blue hair that curled just a bit like Nami's did and dark skin like she played out in the sun a lot. She looked to be about his age, though Sanji couldn't be sure, since they were too far away, still, to really tell. She seemed very serious, eyebrows furrowed as she spoke to Nami, leaning across the table and casting sidelong glances at the approaching group.

When the blue-haired girl's eyes landed on him, Sanji waved, although half-heartedly. The girl made a face and turned back to Nami and began talking really fast. Sanji hadn't any hope of reading her lips or hearing her, but he wished he could. Whatever she was saying seemed serious, since Nami had on a serious expression, too.

"Hey! Nami! Nami's sister! We're here!" Luffy and Ussop shouted together. Zoro looked back at Sanji, laughing a little, but immediately frowned. "What's wrong?" He asked, barely audible. Sanji frowned and turned his eyes away from Zoro, only seeming to tick him off, but not really caring. He didn't want to tell Zoro anything. He had decided that morning that he couldn't trust Zoro, not as a friend, not as anything. And Sanji certainly didn't go around telling mean strangers that he was going to be adopted and taken away from all his friends.

As they finally made it onto flatter ground, off of that awfully steep hill, Luffy ran up under the cover of the pavilion. Ussop followed close behind, whining about the rain, whereas Zoro and Sanji hung behind in complete silence.

Once everyone was under the sufficient roof, Nami began introductions. "Guys, this is Nojiko! Nojiko, this is Luffy, Ussop, Sanji-kun, and Zoro." She pointed to each boy in turn and grinned at Nojiko. The older of the two girls leered at each of the boys one at a time, then, after making a slightly more rude face at Zoro, turned back to Nami. "You have four boyfriends?" She asked indignantly.

"Nobody said that!" Everyone but Nojiko shouted, each waving a hand in front of their face in a 'no way' motion.

Nojiko threw her head back and laughed, the sound echoing all around and nearly drowning out the rain. After a long minute she stopped laughing and wiped her eyes, still grinning. "Ahaha, guess you guys really are friends, huh? That was funny!"

Everyone warmed quickly up to Nojiko, except, of course, Zoro, who never seemed to really warm up to anyone. Sanji thought she was a lot like Nami, only a bit more mature, which he hadn't previously thought was possible for a girl her age. She talked a lot about events he didn't know about, though; stuff that only happened with Nami and their mother, Bellemere. It made him feel kind of like an outcast and he wondered, briefly, if he'd feel like that when he was adopted. Sanji shook his head. He didn't remember allowing himself to acknowledge that he was going to get adopted, therefore he didn't want to. There would only be 'if's, never 'when's.

"Ne, Sanji-kun," Nami elbowed him, whispering so that the others wouldn't hear her, even though everyone had already moved on to the far end of the park, where there was a gigantic metal slide that may as well have been a waterfall. "Did something happen? You haven't been yourself."

Sanji scratched the back of his head, having removed his hood, and looked at her guiltily. "No, I... I've been myself. What are you talking about?" Sanji lied, unconvincingly. Nami raised an eyebrow at him and pressed her mouth into a thin line, daring him to lie again. Sanji sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Okay... Can you keep a secret?"

* * *

><p>Zoro waited, somewhat patiently for Ussop and Luffy to finish their little experiment, (both going down the slide at the same time), while he stood at the bottom of the steep, thirty-foot-tall wooden steps. His eyes kept going back to Sanji and Nami, talking rather animatedly across the park from him. He figured he shouldn't care what they were talking about, but Sanji looked upset and Nami looked angry.<p>

"Stop staring at them, it's creepy." The annoying blue-haired girl said, shaking her soaked head at him. Zoro narrowed his eyes at her and thought about retorting, but held his tongue. If she was anything like Nami, then insulting her would only bring him harm.

"I'm not staring, and I'm not creepy. Just looks like something's wrong." Zoro grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring Nojiko down. She didn't flinch. Instead, Nojiko turned her nose up and huffed. "I haven't known you boys very long, but," She sighed. "I can tell that if something was wrong, you'd all help each other out. Maybe your yellow friend over there just wants a good opinion before he brings up whatever's bothering him."

Zoro smirked briefly when Nojiko said 'your yellow friend', but still shook his head. "He's probably just bitching about me, anyway."

"Bitching?" Nojiko raised an eyebrow and smirked at Zoro. "Musta pissed him off, then, huh?" She asked, grinning wider when Zoro glared at her. Luffy and Ussop slid, screaming, down the long slide, water splashing out over the edges as they went. Zoro took that as his cue to stop talking to Nojiko and never start again.

He climbed up the steps quickly and stood on the small landing at the top, looking around for a minute. He could see Ussop and Luffy splashing around in the giant puddle at the other end of the slide, calling him down. All sounds except rain against metal seemed distant. The trees behind Zoro rustled in a stormy breeze and Zoro took a deep breath of muggy air. He liked the rain, especially during summer.

"You idiots better move!" Zoro called down, laughing when Luffy and Ussop began to scramble away, slipping and sliding on the wet grass. Zoro slid down on his back, feet aimed outward and hands in the air.

* * *

><p>"But, you guys were all so happy, so, I... I'm sorry." Sanji mumbled. Nami had begun to sniffle, whether out of sadness or because of the sudden chill in the air, Sanji didn't know. The redhead rubbed at her face as if to peel it away and sat down on one of the benches, facing Sanji.<p>

"We'll fix this!" She announced suddenly, looking up at him with serious determination in her eyes. "We won't let you get adopted! We'll figure something out, I promise!"

Sanji shook his head. "I've been thinking about it, and... Nami, I don't know if there's anything you _can_ do. I only have until Saturday... Nami, please-"

"No! Don't you dare say not to tell them!" Nami jumped up and stomped over to Sanji, glaring at him. "We are not going to give you up and that's final!" She started to storm off towards the slide where the others were laughing and playing. Sanji ran around in front of her and put his hands out to stop her. "Nami, please, I'll do anything you ask!" He begged, tossing his soaked blonde hair away from his face and looking at her pleadingly.

Nami scoffed, starting to walk around Sanji but he caught her again. "Please," He said again. "Just not today! Look at them! Look how happy they are! I don't want to ruin that!" Sanji pleaded. Nami sobbed once, her tears invisible. "If it turns out we could've done something today that we can't do tomorrow, you owe me every cent you make for the rest of your life! Do you understand me?" She yelled, slapping on a grin and wiping at her face.

Sanji smiled, relieved. "Thank you. I promise, when we get home I'll tell the others." He assured her calmly. Nami gave him a sharp look, even though she was smiling. "You better!" She warned, pointing at him as she passed him and headed towards the slide. "I call dibs, next turn!" She called as she approached the group at the slide. Nojiko was sitting at the top, about to slide down and invited Nami to join her.

Hanging back quite a bit away from the slide, Sanji walked along the edge of the sidewalk. He looked over at various other jungle-gym type areas in the park, but the swings called to him. He'd always liked swings the best.

As Sanji sat down on the soaked seat of the swing, in his soaked pants, kicking off the soaked mulch in his soaked shoes, he could hear the others laughing and a surprised shriek that must have been Nami. He turned around on his swing so he could watch them, smiling. Everyone was all soaked and muddy and laughing so much their faces must have hurt. Sanji giggled at that thought.

He kicked his legs back and forth slowly, suddenly feeling too tired to put all his effort into swinging like he usually did. Watching his friends from afar, he felt like he had already been adopted. They were there still, his friends, but he couldn't get to them. If he spoke, they wouldn't hear, if he cried, they wouldn't see. If he left, they wouldn't notice.

Sanji's chest ached with loneliness and he wanted to get up and go play with the others but he stayed put. He wanted to see what they would be like without him. Hopefully not the same way they had been before he got there, he thought. He wouldn't want them to forget him, not ever. But, they'd be going to the same school, so, Sanji knew they'd still get to hang out. Only, it felt different. Worlds different.

What if he didn't like his room? What if he wanted to have breakfast with them, even though Nami steals his oranges and Luffy eats every kind of meat in sight? What if he wanted to see Ussop's weird new invention that he made in his room? What if he missed them so much he didn't like his new home?

Sanji shook his head quickly and thought of happier things, helping in the kitchen, baby animals, his friends smiling. He heard them calling him, waving him over and he put on his best smile. He wasn't going to get adopted, he decided, it just couldn't happen. Wouldn't happen. They would save him.

But, they didn't.

**:O**

**Nuuuu! Why did I end it there? Because I'm evil and I can't make this particular event take too long. Sorry about that, (but, really, I'm not)! Next chapter will be very wonderful. Maybe not in a happy way, not for you readers, but I will enjoy it quite a bit, which means it may be on time! xD**


	20. Goodbye, Hello

**Aren't I the punctual one this week? xD lol. Meant to have this out during the afternoon, but meh... I'm lazy! Anyway, do enjoy the fruit of my labor.**

Saturday morning arrived and Sanji still hadn't heard from his friends. He'd told them Thursday night that he was getting adopted and they had reacted almost exactly the way he expected them to; everyone was scared, but determined. They all vowed to try their hardest to save him, even though Nami was crying again and Luffy shared a less-than-encouraging story about a friend of his named Coby, whom he had tried to save, but ended up getting adopted anyway.

But, Sanji hadn't heard anything on Friday. His friends barely spoke a word to him, not even trying to console him when he full-on panicked about getting taken away. He didn't know what happened, but nobody was telling him anything. Not to mention, Zoro wouldn't even look at him. Sanji was still mad at Zoro, of course, but he had expected something more from him. After all, before they had gone to the park, Zoro had said he was trying to help Sanji. So, why, all of the sudden, were none of them even talking to him?

He couldn't understand, but that wasn't for lack of trying. As it stood, he was made to pack his bag on Friday night, and told to be ready and be on his best behavior. He tried to find his friends and tell them that, but they were nowhere to be seen.

Sanji had been told not to go into the kitchen on Saturday, because he wasn't supposed to get dirty, but he found himself there anyway. What did he care what the stupid staff said? He wasn't even going to be there much longer, so, they couldn't punish him.

The skinny old chef was berating a young volunteer girl in a pink apron, shouting things that didn't quite make sense in his strange muddled accent. The volunteer girl glanced at Sanji as he stood just inside the kitchen in his best clothes and the old chef followed her eyes, preparing to start yelling again. He stopped short when he saw Sanji.

"Aren'chu s'pposed to be somewhere, boy?" He asked, annoyed, but not nearly as angry as he had been just a moment ago. Sanji frowned and nodded. "Yes, sir." Was all he said, grabbing his hands behind his back and standing up a little straighter.

The old chef rubbed at his age-weathered face and sighed, waving away the volunteer girl. "If yer gonna be 'n here, might as well be werkin'." The chef grumbled, turning and pointing Sanji towards a stack of dirty dishes. Sanji smiled brightly and got to work without another word. At least he still had one thing he could depend on; distractions.

* * *

><p>After the breakfast dishes were finished, Sanji was taken from the kitchen by an old volunteer woman with long hair and a short temper. She sent him up to his room after dragging him from the kitchen to the staff elevator. Sanji hadn't been aware that there was a staff elevator, but it was better than the regular elevator by a mile.<p>

When he got to the third floor, he was kind of sad to leave the nice, clean-smelling elevator and go to his cold and lonely room that smelled more like sweat and dirt than anything else. He especially didn't want to go if Zoro was there. He didn't feel up for being upset and sad and tired and offended anymore.

But, he went anyway. He couldn't just loiter in the hall until someone came to get him, even though it was looking more and more like he would have to. Sanji walked up to room 3-22, whose door was standing wide open, and peered inside around the edge of the doorway. "What are you doing?!" Sanji shrieked.

Zoro froze in the action of turning Sanji's unzipped bag upside-down, causing only half the contents to fall out. Sanji snatched his bag away from Zoro as he shrank to the floor and began collecting his things. "Eh- uh... I-I-" Zoro stuttered, but Sanji ignored him completely. The blonde scooped all his clothes off the floor and into his lap, then began rearranging his bag and shoving the clothes back inside.

"I don't want to know why; I don't want to hear it." Sanji snapped, tucking every last corner of fabric back into his bag and zipping it up hastily. Zoro grabbed onto Sanji's bag and made another attempt at speaking, but Sanji wasn't having any of it. He yanked his bag away from Zoro and glared at him so hard Zoro actually flinched. "Never touch my bag! Especially not after ignoring me for two days while I wait to have my life ruined for the second time!"

"What? I thought you wanted to leave! It's not my fault you're stupid and can't make up your mind!"

Sanji froze, his angry expression dropping into a blank mask that was a thousand times worse. "Wait, did you... did you tell the other's that? Is that why you're all ignoring me?" He asked, his voice full of hurt. Zoro swallowed hard, but he didn't say anything, giving Sanji exactly the answer he needed. "You actually think I would rather live with some strangers than stay here with my best friends?" Sanji asked. The blankness in his face gave way to pain and sadness and Zoro couldn't even look at him.

"Where are they? No, never mind. I don't want to know that." Sanji shook his head, clutching his bag as a sick feeling made its presence known in his gut. "I'm going to be leaving soon, _even though I never wanted to_. You can tell them when I'm gone that I'll miss them."

Almost like the universe was giving Sanji the last word, Makino appeared in the doorway wearing her motherly smile and told Sanji it was time for him to go. "You can stay a moment longer if you'd like to say goodbye to Roronoa-kun and your friends." Makino told him.

"No." Sanji said simply. He glanced over his shoulder again with that horrible blank look, eyes looking straight at Zoro for a second before he turned away and followed Makino down the hall. Zoro was frozen in place for a time that seemed significantly longer that it must have been, because he felt like he'd been standing there for hours, but when he finally moved into the hall he could see Makino and Sanji rounding the corner.

Zoro knew he had to tell the others, but did he have time? They were all hiding out in the clubhouse, because they knew Sanji wouldn't go there, but it would take Zoro a few minutes to get downstairs, out the back door, through the tall grass, through the fence and all the way to the clubhouse. Never mind everyone having to dash right back the way Zoro came and out into the front yard. Sanji would be gone by then.

Zoro didn't know what to do. Surely the others would be upset if he didn't tell them, but he couldn't... He could say that Sanji left without saying goodbye, since that was true, but Zoro felt like that was the wrong idea. Still, he couldn't think of what the right idea would be. He had hoped to stall the blonde's departure, but how was he supposed to know that Sanji would get back to their room while he was still in the process of dumping and hiding his things?

Still struggling to put his thoughts in order, Zoro hurried down the stairs. He didn't notice whether Sanji and Makino had taken the stairs or the elevator, but the stairs were always faster. He hesitated in the lobby, caught between heading to the back door and heading to the front door. He looked back and forth between the hall leading to the back door and the front door, clear in his view. Zoro groaned, knowing what his friends' reactions would be if he chose the path he was leaning towards. But, he didn't care.

He rushed out the front door, and maybe that was an apology on the tip of his tongue, maybe it was just a call for attention, but it was too late. Zoro could see a minivan driving away, a blonde head visible through the rear window. Zoro's head snapped to the right, then the left, and every which way, but Sanji wasn't anywhere. He already left.

A familiar feeling took hold of Zoro's chest, a feeling he hadn't felt in years and one he hoped he never would. Grief. It didn't apply in nearly the same way this time, but it felt almost exactly the same. He suddenly yearned to go back to the dojo he used to live in, to be safe and oblivious of the outside world, including all blondes with curly eyebrows.

But, he couldn't go back to the dojo. At least, not until he told the others.

Zoro peeled his eyes away from the traffic where the minivan had disappeared and walked quietly towards the side of the orphanage. As he started wading through the damp tall grass, Zoro's steps grew faster. He had broken into a run by the time he got to the gate and he ran right into it, his fingers reaching through the links. He stopped for a moment, pressing his cheek to the fence and breathing hard. Then, he was off again.

He burst through the fence and looked both ways before following the right path, causing mud to splatter in his wake. His lungs were burning and it felt like he couldn't get enough air and maybe he never would again, but he couldn't stop running. His shoes were unrecognizable under all the mud and grass and his clothes were soaked. He hadn't even realized that it had started raining again.

The shack came into view not a moment too soon and Zoro felt his legs about to give out. He had to stop and take a rest only a few steps away from The shack's entrance, which was now blocked by a random two-foot square of chicken wire fence, to keep out such things as possums.

Ussop stepped into view wearing his bandana around his head and holding a broom like a sword. He turned so that Zoro couldn't see his face and, a moment later, Nami and Luffy ran up to the gate that served as their door.

"Did you check on him?" Luffy asked, stepping up to the gate and raising his eyebrows at Zoro.

"Zoro, what's wrong?" Nami asked. From the look on her face, Zoro could tell she knew something had happened.

The green-haired boy took another couple of deep breaths, before the words spilled out; "He's gone."

_~One year and eight months later...~_

"Guuuuuuys!" Ussop screeched, sprinting down the dirt path in his over-sized boots. Nami and Zoro looked up from painting 'The Going Merry Shack'. "What?" Nami called, wobbling a little on her ladder that was balanced against the building while she painted the ugly trim a pristine white.

Luffy emerged from the shack holding up a sheet and grinning. "What do you think?" He asked, flapping the painted sheet. Zoro and Nami looked away from Ussop for a moment and gawked at the image. "What is that supposed to be?" Zoro asked, scrunching up his nose at the red and white and black and tan blob. Luffy pouted and looked down at his sheet. "It's our sign! See! It's a skull and crossbones with a straw hat!"

"Gu~uuuuuys!" Ussop wheezed, gulping in as much air as he could when they didn't look at him. "GUYS! Listen to me!" Ussop gasped, bending and planting his hands on his knees. Nami waved him away. "Yes, fine, you can definitely re-paint it, Ussop." She said dismissively.

"Hey! I did a good job!" Luffy defended, ignoring Ussop altogether. Zoro cackled and Luffy pouted at him. "It's not that bad!" Luffy shouted. Nami laughed, dipping her paintbrush in the small can of white paint. "It stinks, Luffy. You should let Ussop do the drawing for you."

"GUYS! Listen to me! It's important!" Ussop yelled, catching Luffy's attention and, by extension, Zoro's and Nami's. Ussop stopped to take a huge amount of air, his chest puffing out. "Makino said that Sanji's coming back today!"

"WHAT? WHY DIDN'T YOU SAY SO?!"

* * *

><p>When the cab pulled up in front of the orphanage, he felt an overwhelming sense of deja vu. He could clearly remember the day he first arrived at The Red Line Orphanage. Meeting his roommate. The first time he went to breakfast in the dining hall. Anything and everything significant that had happened in his brief three-and-a-half month stay.<p>

Somehow it felt awkward, returning after such a long time. It didn't feel like over a year and a half that he was away; it felt more like a decade. It was only a week out from his eleventh birthday, too. Maybe that helped him, he didn't know. He didn't even care. He just wanted to know if his friends would still be his friends. Or, if they were even still there. He really hoped they were still there.

He didn't like the circumstances under which he left, or the circumstances under which he returned, but he was glad to be back. He hadn't realized he would be so incredibly lonely without all his friends. It was a feeling he would rather not re-live anytime soon.

The blonde shuffled out of the taxi; followed by the graying lawyer that was somehow related to the couple he had belonged to. He grabbed his bag from the trunk while the tired-looking lawyer told the cabbie to wait outside, because he was just dropping 'the kid' off.

He heaved his bag over his shoulder and stepped up onto the line of half-pavement, half-grass that passed for a sidewalk, watching as several kids looked up from playing in the yard to stare at him, some in recognition, some in pity.

* * *

><p>Zoro felt pathetic. He was scared to see Sanji again after more than a year. He didn't know why he would be scared. They were still friends, right? He thought so. He didn't know what he thought might have changed since the last time they saw each other. He certainly didn't feel different, but he didn't know about Sanji. He could barely summon up the image of Sanji's face, even though they'd been roommates and Nakama.<p>

Luffy and Ussop and Nami all chattered excitedly to each other, but Zoro didn't care to participate. He'd rather not get distracted. Zoro followed his friends through the back halls and out into the lobby. The others bounced up to the front desk, where Makino was looking at some paperwork, but Zoro hung back, peering out the glass doors at the front yard where more than half of the children living in the orphanage were playing. He told himself he wasn't looking for anything in particular, but when a taxi pulled up out front he could feel an anxious hope in the back of his mind. He hoped it was Sanji.

"Now, now, you all have to let him settle in first!" Makino chided, walking around the desk and setting the papers gently down. "How about you four go wait in one of the playrooms? I'm sure I could convince Sanji-kun to meet you there once his paperwork is done."

Nami, Luffy and Ussop all 'aww'd at the same time and Zoro just stared at Makino. Surely she wasn't serious? "Why can't we just play with hi~m? You could do the paperwork!" Luffy whined, his posse of two agreeing whole-heartedly.

Makino laughed, ushering them all towards the stairs. "There's some information that only Sanji-kun can fill in, so, I'll send him along when the work's done." Makino assured them, one hand on Luffy's back and her other hand on Ussop's back. Nami walked alongside them, still whining, but not resisting what seemed to be their only option.

Zoro, however, did not follow them.

One of the two glass doors opened, ringing a bell they had recently added to the door to signal when someone was coming in, (or going out, in the case of trouble-making children). Zoro looked up and he couldn't breathe anymore. He did try, he was almost certain that he did, but nothing happened.

Sanji walked into the building, eyes downcast. He had scratches and bruises on his face and a bandage around one wrist, and that was just as far as Zoro could see. It was still the tail-end of February, it was still cold enough to wear long sleeves and jeans and Sanji was taking full advantage of that.

Suddenly, he wondered if Sanji's adoptive parents had done that to him, and Zoro took in a sharp breath. Why hadn't he tried to save Sanji before? Why had he let him get taken away? Why couldn't he-

Blue eyes met his and Zoro stopped breathing again. Would Sanji still be mad? Would he hate him? Would he even still want to be Nakama? Would he hate the others, too? What if Sanji didn't forgive him? If he was really still mad? Then what? Zoro's mouth started to move before his brain stopped asking questions and what came out wasn't something he was proud of; "Uh... hi."

Sanji's blank face and wide eyes turned quickly into a smile and Zoro knew he would've made fun of Sanji for that, but he couldn't do it. "Zoro!" Sanji practically chirped, smiling so wide that the marks on his face seemed to disappear. "I really missed you!"

**Just to be clear, I haven't ended this yet. When I posted the last chapter, a couple of people un-alerted me, so I think they thought I was finished! :O I'm not! Please don't run out on me! I plan to have this fic going a lot longer... not even sure there's an ending in sight! You'll have to be patient with my weird endings, it's kind of my 'thing'. xD**


	21. Welcome

**This one's a little short, but you'll have to bear with me. I have some things that I'm saving up for in the near future, so you'll get your word count payout soon enough!**

_"I really missed you!"_

Zoro just stared for a moment, his eyes wide, and his jaw slack. What did Sanji just say? Zoro must've been hearing things, he was sure, but he couldn't have been just hearing things when Sanji laughed and smiled at him, a happy smile, not a malicious smile, or a sad smile. Happy. _Sanji is happy_.

"... You, too." Zoro mumbled. He wasn't sure what else could say, and he sort of missed Sanji while he was gone, he just didn't know if he wanted to say that. Would it come back to bite him? Would Sanji take back his 'I missed you'? What _happened_ to him?

Sanji stopped just in front Zoro and adjusted the strap of his bag over his shoulder. Zoro noticed it wasn't the same blue backpack he had had nearly two years ago. It was navy blue with black pockets and zippers and Zoro could see that it was really full. He was about to offer to hold Sanji's bag for him, but the old man in the brown suit that had come in with Sanji called for the blonde's attention.

"There's nobody at the desk. Are you okay with waiting here by yourself? You can fill out the forms and all that?" The man asked, already taking steps towards the door. Sanji waved and nodded. "Yes, sir. Thanks."

The man in the suit nodded and ducked out without any further notice and Sanji rolled his eyes. He turned to look at Zoro again and his smile was restored. "You did miss me? That's good. I thought you wouldn't... well, I thought you'd be mad at me." Sanji said, his smile turning sheepish and his eyes dropping.

Zoro made an undistinguished sound of surprise. "Mad at you? I thought you'd be mad at me! I mean- y-you're not, right?" Zoro put up his hands as a defense, just in case Sanji decided that, yes, he is very mad, and wanted to hit Zoro or something. But, he didn't. Sanji just shook his head and Zoro looked at him like he had an arm sticking out of his cheek. "Ah, about that. Probably weren't expecting that, were you?" The blonde asked, laughing when Zoro shook his head dumbly. Laughing. _Giggling_.

"It's kind of a long story... Um... is everyone still... here?" Sanji asked, and his eyebrows drew together in curiosity and apprehension of Zoro's answer. It took a second for the older boy to realize he was asking if anyone had gotten adopted. "No- yeah! Yeah, everyone's waiting for you. We're all here." Zoro answered hurriedly and Sanji sighed.

"I'm glad." Sanji said simply. The silence following those words seemed to hold some sort of oppressive emotion. Zoro couldn't tell what it was, but he could kind of see it in Sanji's face. He knew he wasn't the best with emotions, but there was definitely something there.

Makino materialized out of thin air, interrupting whatever Zoro might've said and hugging Sanji quickly. She and the blonde exchanged polite words, a conversation Zoro didn't care to hear, and then she handed Sanji a pink clipboard with a boring-looking form on it. Sanji thanked her and smiled at Zoro before taking up a seat at the same glass coffee table that had been in the lobby the first time he ever stepped foot into the building.

Zoro went over and sat beside Sanji, curious. "What are you doing?" He asked, looking over the younger boy's shoulder at the questions and blank spaces for answers on the paper. Sanji pulled a pen out of the middle of the clip on the clipboard and pulled the cap off before answering, "I'm supposed to fill these out."

Sanji scribbled his full name in neat cursive letters on the first answer line and Zoro snorted. "Blackleg Sanji? What's your middle name? Prince?" He teased. Sanji's eye twitched. "No, it isn't. And, I like my name, thank you very much."

Slowly but surely, Sanji answered all the questions, even the ones that seemed irrelevant. He answered questions about his family's history with dozens of different illnesses on the first page alone, and then started in on the stupider questions on the second page. All the while, Zoro sat and watched. Zoro had never had to fill out a form like that, so he was curious about it, but he was also hoping to see some information as to why Sanji was back.

"So, what's been going on while I was gone?" Sanji asked rather suddenly. His voice sounded a little spacey since he was still partially focused on the paperwork in his lap. Zoro kind of wanted to say 'you first!', but he refrained. "Not much," Zoro said, shrugging. "Luffy was 'adopted' by his friend Shanks for about two months."

The pen in Sanji's hand slipped a little as he jerked his head to look at Zoro. "What?" he asked, confused and a little worried, but mostly confused. Zoro made a face of realization and nodded slowly. "Luffy didn't tell you about Shanks before?" Zoro questioned and Sanji shook his head. "Right. Okay. Well, Shanks is some sort of explorer or something and he comes around every few months or so and pulls Luffy and Ace out of this place to stay with him and his crew on his boat for however long he stays on the island, and they come right back when he leaves." Zoro explained.

"That sounds kind of... mean." Sanji said, his expression somewhat troubled. "Making them move back and forth like, 'I'm gonna adopt you, but no, wait, go away again'."

Zoro laughed. "Yeah, that's what Ace thinks. But, Luffy really likes Shanks. He's the closest thing they have to a dad."

Sanji nodded slowly as if he wanted to say something else, but he turned his eyes back to his paperwork again and started scribbling before Zoro could question him. He didn't want to interrupt Sanji if he was doing something important.

After another ten minutes, Sanji had filled out all he could on the form and he slid off the seat and stretched. Zoro stood up beside him and followed the blonde over to the desk, where he placed the clipboard full of information. "Anything else I have to do or fill out?" Sanji asked politely, looking only the slightest bit bored and fidgety.

The woman at the desk, (Zoro hadn't noticed before that Makino left), laughed. "You're a responsible young man, aren't you?" She squealed, before picking up the clipboard and doing a quick once-over of the information. "Naw, you're good to go. Know which room you're going to?"

Sanji nodded. "Yes, ma'am." He said with a small nod. The woman giggled behind her hand and whispered something to herself as she gestured towards the elevator. Sanji looked over his shoulder at Zoro as he moved towards the elevator. "Where is everyone? Do you know?" Sanji asked excitedly.

Zoro was thrown off by the recurring smile and bright eyes, so much so that he forgot to answer before they were in the elevator. "Oh, crap! Everyone's waiting in one of those playrooms!" Zoro announced suddenly and he saw Sanji jump. The blonde blinked at him, all stiff limbs and wide eyes, and he slowly started to loosen up. Sanji laughed quietly. "Good timing on that one, genius." He commented.

"Already with the insults?" Zoro complained, miming punching Sanji in the nose. Sanji actually flinched a little, causing one of the purple bruises on his cheek to twitch. That reminded Zoro what he had wanted to ask earlier. "How'd you get hurt like that?"

Sanji froze. "Maybe... maybe that's a story for later?" He offered, his fading smile giving way to a slight frown. Zoro mimicked his expression. "No, I think now's a good time. What happened?" He asked sharply. Sanji fixed him with something of a stubborn glare. A moment later, Sanji turned his head away and just stared at the elevator doors.

When the doors opened, Sanji walked briskly out of the elevator and started down the hall. Nothing had changed about the decor since he'd last walked the halls; it didn't even look like the rugs had been washed. So, Sanji was fairly certain he knew exactly how to get to his old room and exactly what he would find there. He was wrong.

The door to room 3-22 had a single strip of paper taped to it, just under the numbers. 'Blackleg' it read. That alone confused Sanji, but then he opened the door. Both beds were stripped of any personality, covered by thin, white hospital blankets and sheets, without pillows and with a layer of dust. All four drawers in the single dresser were wide open and the lamp that had been there once was gone. The bookshelf in the back right corner of the room was naked and dusted with cobwebs. Where he stepped on the hardwood floor, he left footprints. Sanji looked at Zoro, who was standing in the doorway, with minute terror in his eyes. "What happened here?" Sanji asked.

Zoro's lips pressed into a thin line. "I moved to Luffy's room when Ace moved to the fourth floor. That was a little over a year ago." He answered, shrugging. The look on Sanji's face was complicated and confusing and Zoro couldn't tell what he was thinking. Suddenly, the blonde plastered a grin on his face and swung his bag around off his shoulder and onto the bottom bunk. "Good. I could use some time to myself." Sanji said positively.

"That sounded weird." Zoro commented idly. It did sound weird, yes, there was something strange in Sanji's tone, but he didn't know why he would mention it. Then he pieced together where he'd heard that tone before. "You're upset?" Zoro asked.

Sanji raised his eyebrows at Zoro and tossed his hair out of his face. "Should I be?"

"No! You shouldn't! What've you been here, five minutes and you're already getting mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you." Sanji said, frowning slightly. "But, you seem to be a little ticked off."

The blonde crossed his arms over his chest in a stance that Zoro had never seen him use before. The pitiful, skinny, pathetic Sanji was actually standing his ground. Zoro didn't know whether he was glad or angry. He might be glad because Sanji was finally toughening up, but he might be angry because Sanji was using that newfound bravery against him. Because he wasn't ticked off. Really.

"What the hell ever. I'm gonna go find the others." Zoro scoffed, putting his hands in his pockets and leering at Sanji before walking off down the hall. Sanji thought of mentioning that Zoro was going the wrong way, but he didn't care. Let the idiot get lost. Serves him right for welcoming people, friend people, like criminals.

Sanji dusted off a spot on the floor by his bed and sat down there with his back against the rail. He pulled his bag into his lap and unzipped it. He reached in and pulled out a stuffed envelope. It was slightly crinkled, but it wasn't open. He'd looked at it, thought about it from the outside so many times in the past two years. He'd thought about steaming it open like he saw someone do once, or just ripping off the short end like his mother used to do. But, it never felt right. He never felt up for the nostalgic sadness he knew it would bring.

The blonde slipped his finger into the small opening between the corner of the envelope and where the glue started. He ripped another small section open experimentally. Sanji stilled and spaced out looking at the envelope. _Not today_. He sighed and gently replaced the envelope in his backpack, as he had done countless times in the past, and stood up. He wanted to see the others, to know for sure that nothing had really changed.

Sanji looked around at the empty room once more before he stepped out and shut the door behind himself. He headed down the hall in the opposite direction from where Zoro had disappeared and made it to the stairs without any interruption of any sort. He could hear the constant murmur of voices, either on the floor above, or the floor below him, but that was the only sound aside from the chirping of birds outside the windows. It seemed eerily calm, and calm had been his enemy these past few days.

The door that let him out of the stairwell on the ground floor squeaked when he opened it, causing the lady at the desk to look over at him. He waved at her as he ducked into the mass-interview hallway that was lined with open doorways into rooms of maroon carpet and minimal seating. Boxes and baskets of toys lined the back wall of each room he passed, looking for his friends. Zoro had said they'd be there, right? He couldn't remember his exact words, but he believed he was on the right track.

He held his breath and listened for their voices, slowing his pace just in case that helped. "*_M~ooouuuu! How long do we have to wait?! He should be here already, right_?" Luffy's voice cracked the silence and Sanji smiled. He willed Luffy to keep talking so he could find which room they were in. And, that he did. Luffy whined, and Nami shouted at him and Ussop told them both they were being noisy. Sanji followed the racket to a room on the right side of the hallway, second from the last.

"Guys!" He called, smiling wide. All three turned to look at him, jaws dropped and eyes wide. He was expecting some sort of comment from them, since they seemed to be staring at his injuries, but instead they jumped up and tackle-hugged him to the ground. Sanji laughed as his friends babbled incoherently, albeit loudly, in his face, teary eyed and grinning. He really loved his friends.

"If you leave again I'm f-fining you e-eighty-zillion beli!" Nami blubbered, wiping her eyes on Sanji's sweater. Luffy and Ussop wailed then, and he took that as agreement. Sanji wrapped his arms around his friends, his hands far from touching behind their backs, and laughed. "It's good to be back." He said, not entirely sure that they could hear him over their own bumbling speech. But, he didn't mind. He liked their welcome much, much better than the first one he got.

"**Ne, Sanji. What happened to you?"

*** Mou - Geez, gah. He's irritated, ya know?**

**** Ne - I don't know if I've explained this one in this story yet. It means 'hey', in that context, but sometimes it means 'right'.**


	22. Again

**Haha, sorry guys, I would've had this up sooner, but I've felt so "ugh..." today. Despite every hitch, this turned out pretty okay! The first beta'd chapter, (random to start on chapter 22, but whatever!), edited brilliantly by Llanyia! Thank you again!**

**Enjoy!**

Standing in the doorway of the mass-interview room, being stared down by his friends, was not a place Sanji had pictured himself being. Especially not so soon after returning. What happened to him, they had asked. But, that was a longer story than he felt like explaining at the moment.

He shuffled awkwardly from foot to foot. "Eh, well... It's... nothing. I mean, stuff happened, yeah, but it was mostly me being clumsy," Sanji explained, pushing up his sleeves and holding out his arms for inspection. Luffy, Ussop and Nami all leaned forward and frowned at the bruises ranging from black to light green all up and down Sanji's arms, as well as the bandage on his right wrist.

His friends gave him disbelieving looks and Sanji laughed. Okay, it wasn't really funny, but the fact that he had _actually_ missed their annoying concern was enough to make him laugh, if only out of nervous habit. "Honestly, guys. Nothing too dramatic happened," Sanji assured them, raising his hands up in defense.

Luffy pouted dramatically. "Then, why weren't you ever in school?"

"Oh, about that-"

"Yeah, Sanji, you completely abandoned us!"

"But, that wasn't really my-"

"And, you couldn't call or write or anything?"

"I'm sorry, guys, I just-"

"You didn't make better friends and then try to forget about us, did you?!"

"No, no! I promise, I-"

"Sanji-kun, why didn't you visit? Or, invite us to see your new home?"

"Guys, I-"

"Did you have pets?" "Why are you back here?" "Sanji-kuuuuun!"

"Be quiet!" Sanji snapped, trying to catch his breath after being practically suffocated by their questions. "I can _only answer so many questions at once_!" Sanji said quickly. His friends pouted, but they were quiet, so he took that as a good sign. Sanji took a deep breath, in through the nose, out through the mouth, and raked through his hair with one hand, the one without a bandage. His hair fell over his left eye and he looked at it a second before sighing. "Can we possibly sit down somewhere?" he asked.

Nami rolled her eyes and accused him of stalling, while Luffy hooked his elbow around Sanji's left arm and started leading the way down the hall. "Hey! Don't forget about me!" Ussop shouted, half-running to catch up to them. Sanji put out his hand for Nami and she took it, looking a little concerned.

"It's not broken, right?" she asked and Sanji shook his head.

"Nope! As long as you don't try to break it, it doesn't even hurt."

Ussop whined about being left behind and Luffy laughed. "Come here and I'll get your arm, too!" Luffy said, waving vigorously for Ussop to walk beside him, thereby taking up the whole walkway. Sanji had some lecture about making room for other people to come through in the back of his mind, but he didn't let it through. It was surprisingly fun to take up an entire hallway arm-in-arm with his friends.

As they passed through the lobby, the woman at the desk gave Sanji a look of pity and he just beamed at her. No pity today, he thought. Only fun and catching up with his friends. Although, trying to go up the cramped stairs side-by-side wasn't exactly_ fun_, it still didn't deserve pity. It was kind of amusing.

"Whose room are we going to? 'Cause, this is my floor," Nami said, swinging her hand in Sanji's. "Oh, and Vivi-chan is probably there!"

"Vivi-chan? Who's that?" Sanji asked, pausing on the second floor landing.

Ussop piped up. "Vivi is Nami's roommate! She got here last year, but she keeps saying she's not supposed to be here. Probably because Nami is so annoying..." He mumbled the last part.

Nami raised an orange eyebrow at Ussop in the most threatening way Sanji had ever seen a girl raise her eyebrow. "What was that, U-sso-pu?" she asked lightly, smiling at him with a deceptively sweet smile.

The long nose shivered and shook his head, making his curls bounce. "Nothing!"

Sanji and Luffy laughed at the exchange. Sanji kind of wanted to meet the Vivi girl, but he wasn't sure if it was the right time. He had wanted to tell his friends, whom he had known and talked to and who understood him, some of what had happened while he was away. He had a rather strong feeling he wouldn't be able to do so in the presence of a stranger. At least, not without much pausing awkwardly and explaining.

"Uhh... Maybe Ussop's room? You don't have a roommate, do you?" Sanji asked, looking at Ussop, who was hiding behind Luffy, as far as he could get away from Nami. Ussop peeked around Luffy's head at Sanji.

"Naw. And, I just cleaned my room earlier, so, okay!" Ussop said, grinning proudly. The others agreed, not really caring where they went, and the four of them hiked up one more flight of stairs.

Upon reaching Ussop's room, mostly unattached from each other, their jaws all dropped. "You... cleaned up?" Sanji asked, eyes skimming over the piles upon piles of junk stacked in the corners and on the top bunk and peering out from under Ussop's bed.

"Yeah! It looks way better, doesn't it?" Ussop boasted, sticking out his chest as he stepped into his room, nearly tripping on some dirty-looking spring contraption.

"Ugh! Just, whatever about the mess! I want to know what happened to you, Sanji-kun!" Nami groaned, pulling her hand out of Sanji's and pushing him by the shoulders into the room.

The blond sighed, hanging his head. "Yeah, yeah... I'll tell you, no need to push."

"Hey, where'd Zoro get to?" Luffy asked, leaning half out the doorway and looking both ways.

Sanji squared his shoulders, taking a calming breath. "He probably got lost somewhere," he said, somewhat bitterly. The others looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Have you talked to him yet?" Nami asked.

Sanji shrugged. "Sorta," he said simply. His friends looked at him expectantly and he shook his head. "I thought you wanted to hear about my time away?"

Curious though they may be about the Zoro issue, the Sanji-was-adopted-and-now-he's-back issue took presidence. Nami, Ussop and Luffy formed a semi-circle on one clean-ish side of the floor, leaving Sanji to sit by himself, across from them. He felt a tiny bit claustrophobic suddenly, but he swallowed the feeling.

"Alright. Let's see... Oh, about school, I still went. But, the family that... bought me, or whatever, they live halfway across the island. There was an elementary school right around the corner from their house, and they got me transferred there," Sanji explained, shrugging once in an apologetic way.

The other three made simultaneous "oh" faces and Sanji snorted. "You guys just thought I dropped out? Just like that?" he asked, unimpressed. Slowly, his friends all nodded.

"Yeah, kinda..." Luffy and Ussop said together and Sanji rolled his eyes.

"In case you're forgetting, school wasn't the first thing we asked about!" Nami said, exasperated. Sanji gave her the most pitiful look he could muster and bowed his head slightly. "About that... I kind of... got into fights?" It sounded like a suggestion, but Sanji was just saying it as gently as he could. That didn't stop the reaction.

"YOU WHAT?!" All three of his friends shrieked as one glass-shattering voice of astonishment.

Sanji's hands flew up defensively, his eyes wide and nervous. "Just a few, I swear! It was totally my fault! That's why I'm... here. Again."

Gaping mouths pulled shut. "They gave you back?" Ussop asked quietly.

Sanji nodded, one corner of his mouth turning up in a sour smile. "Yeah. After the last fight at school, they'd had enough, I guess," he said, shrugging.

Nami scooted forward on her knees and leaned in to hug Sanji. He let her, but he didn't hug back. Over Nami's shoulder, Sanji saw Luffy making his "I r thinking" face and he frowned. "What is it?" Sanji asked.

Luffy tilted his head to the side and hummed. "Isn't that just like me and Shanks? Won't they come back for you?"

Sanji turned his head down into Nami's shoulder and shook it. "No. No, they won't," he said quietly. Ussop came over and patted Sanji on the back while Nami hugged him and Luffy tried to figure out how the situation was different from his and Shanks'.

oOo

Sanji wormed his way out of further interrogation with the most classic excuse, "I've had a long day... I'm really tired." He was tired. Really. But, mostly he just wanted out. He missed his friends, yes, and he loved them, definitely, but he didn't want to talk to them about his time away. Especially when half the things that came out of his mouth were lies.

He had decided on the way to the orphanage that he wouldn't tell them the whole truth. Not until he was completely ready, which he wasn't sure would ever happen. He had hoped to have a change of heart upon seeing them, but he didn't. They were so happy to see him, so nice, so _the same_, that he couldn't help himself. He had to make sure they were still his innocent, optimistic best friends.

At first he wasn't sure that his little story would work. It was a half-truth, of course. He hadn't started the fights at school, but they had happened, and they were partially at fault for his return. But, his adoptive parents had loved him so much... He wondered every day that he was with them how they could summon up that kind of affection for a boy who wasn't even related to them. Sanji wished he had someone to talk to about it, but the past three weeks had been Hell, and there wasn't anybody he knew that he believed could really understand what he was going through.

Well. He had hoped he could tell _someone_. But, that thought went down the garbage disposal the first ten minutes he was back.

He didn't know why he expected Zoro to be his bestest buddy, or whatever. He just did. It was really a let-down when he got only attitude from Zoro, after he'd forgiven him for everything and told him he missed him. He had. Sanji had missed Zoro a lot more than he thought he would. That part was true.

Somehow, he had fooled himself into thinking that Zoro would still be his roommate, so he wouldn't be alone. Not that Zoro was any kind of conversationalist, or even very friendly. He was just there when Sanji needed him, and that's what Sanji wanted. After their earlier encounter, he was fairly certain he wouldn't have that anymore.

On the third floor, Sanji couldn't focus his eyes or his attention on anything. He was too tired to make his mind concentrate on anything and was too ashamed of himself for lying to his friends. If he took a little while to actually get to his room, he didn't care.

Idly, he scratched at the bandages tied like a second, albeit itchy, skin around his wrist. He was expected to visit the doctor's office in the next couple of days to have all his bandages removed, or at least changed. Sanji couldn't wait until he was rid of the annoying bandages. Without any conscious effort, he started to scratch at the bandage around his abdomen and the one on his upper arm.

Sanji looked up from the floor and glanced at one of the doors, checking how close he was to his own room. 3-18. He clasped his hands together behind his back so he wouldn't scratch at his wounds, at least not until he was in his own room.

He counted as he passed two doors on the right side of the hall and one on the left side, and then he looked up again. Before he noticed anything else, he noticed Zoro, standing awkwardly in front of room 3-22. Sanji raised his eyebrows slightly and Zoro gulped visibly.

"Hi again," Sanji greeted unenthusiastically. "I thought you were gonna go find the others?"

Zoro crossed his arms over his chest and frowned. It looked a little like he was pouting, but Sanji wasn't going to say so. Instead, the younger boy sighed. "You know, you can't just stand there. Shouldn't you go to your room?" Sanji suggested, failing at subtlety and not really caring.

"I'll do whatever I want! You're not the boss of me!" Zoro snapped, turning his head away from Sanji and glaring at something down the hall. The blond shrugged. If that was how Zoro was going to play it, he'd play it that way, too.

"Okay, then." Sanji walked up to and opened his door, not sparing a single glance toward Zoro. "I'm going to bed, now."

He started to close the door, but Zoro pushed it open with his shoulder. "Not even an explanation? You're _still_ not going to tell me what happened?" Zoro asked, incredulous. The look on his face, caught between a glare and something akin to betrayal, almost made Sanji laugh.

"What, me? 'You're not the boss of me,'" Sanji mocked, rolling his eyes. He picked up his bag and pulled out a set of night clothes while Zoro floundered for words in the doorway. "'I'll do whatever I want,'" Sanji added, for good measure.

"Wh- but, it's not like I was telling you what to do! I just asked-"

"And, you can go ask someone else, because I don't even want to talk about it," Sanji said, walking over to the window and wiping off a thick layer of dust with his hand. The late afternoon light filtering into the room through the dirty window pane seemed to grow brighter with just that one dust-less stripe to go through.

"You told somebody else?" Zoro asked, keeping the anger-betrayal tone. That really ticked Sanji off.

"Something like that," Sanji said through a tight jaw. He didn't feel like being questioned about his numerous lies.

Zoro frowned deeply. "Who? Did you talk to Luffy and the others?"

"Yeah."

The older boy looked mildly embarrassed by that fact, but he kept going. "If you told them, why can't you tell me?"

"Don't want to."

Zoro's eyebrow twitched. "Why not?"

Sanji levelled him with a completely innocent stare. "You have no manners," he stated, as if it were obvious. Honestly, he thought their reunion after just over a year and a half would have gone better if Zoro had just asked nicely from the start. Sanji would've caved.

"S-seriously? That's it?" Zoro asked, stumbling a little bit even though he hadn't been moving. "That's all you want? For me to say 'please' and 'thank you,' then you'll tell me?" Zoro continued, confused. He had no idea how that would make any difference, because he never cared about manners, but maybe he'd say it if Sanji would talk to him.

Sanji fixed his expression into a frown. "I don't know. Maybe."

"Okay, then! _Please_ tell me what happened?" His please was a little strained, but he said it. Zoro said please.

Sanji shook his head and sighed. "Fine. But, you can't say anything. Not a single word, not even when I'm finished. You can ask about what you wanna know, but then you have to be quiet," Sanji said, holding up a finger in a lecturing manner. "Do you understand?"

Zoro nodded and Sanji gestured for him to begin. "How did you get hurt? Did your adopted parents hurt you? Is that why you're back here? Why did you refuse to tell-" Zoro was cut off abruptly when Sanji pushed up the sleeves of his sweater. He stared at the cuts and bruises with wide eyes. "... Are you okay?"

"Yeah. It looks a lot worse than it feels," Sanji said, gesturing vaguely with his skinny arms. "And, no, the couple who adopted me didn't hurt me. They didn't even yell at me. It was kind of nice..." Sanji trailed off for a second, but then he shook his head as if to clear it and began again. "These, uh... fights in school... somethin'... I dunno. Stuff happened and I'm back."

He had wanted to tell Zoro the truth, but he found himself mumbling and putting words together in a way that didn't make sense. He didn't know why he was doing that. Sanji was almost certain that his brain would explode if he kept his story to himself, but his mouth and his brain weren't coordinated with each other. Not to mention his nerves were fried. And, on top of all that, Zoro didn't look like he believed him at all.

"What's going on, Sanji?" Zoro asked warily. Sanji wasn't sure if he was glad that someone could tell that he was lying, or annoyed that that person was Zoro. Unrelenting, insensitive, stubborn, annoying, well-meaning, there-for-him Zoro.

The younger boy's shoulders drooped. "I'm tired. I'm just _really_ tired. The past month has been devastating and lonely and I just want to tell somebody what happened, but I don't want the others to know, because they were so happy to see me! But, then I lied to them, so now I feel like crap, but it's fine, because it's really not a big deal, as long as they stay happy. And, now, I kind of want to tell you the truth, which I sort of have to do, since I've already said that there's a lie and a truth, but you should just be happy, too! Why aren't you happy to see me? I don't think you've smiled once since I've been back." Sanji was panting by the end.

He had just crammed way too much into way too little space, he knew, and Zoro's face had changed several times accordingly. Sanji wasn't sure if he should've just shut himself up, or if he made the situation any better, or even what the heck just happened, really. He just wanted to go to sleep and wake up to a new day and a fresh start.

Zoro took an awkward step into the room, with his hands outstretched. "I _am_ happy to see you! Seriously! Don't... talk so fast. Geez. I don't know what's up with you, kid, but you need to chill out!"

"Don't call me 'kid,'" Sanji said, pouting somewhat. "And, I'd be chilled out if you gave me half a second of settling in."

"Okay. Okay..." Zoro said, nodding. Silence set in after that, making Sanji wonder if Zoro was actually okay with letting it go for the time being. Neither of them moved for a minute or two, standing there in the strangely chilly room. Then Zoro asked, "Is it okay if I crash here for the night?"

**Stretching the limits of how long I can keep you guys in the dark~! xD I promise I'll fix things up soon enough... Maybe. Possibly. But! I do have an explanation planned, so, I'm not just stalling. I think it'll be a good one. ;D**


	23. Trying

When Sanji woke up that morning, he could've sworn he saw the white walls with green and blue paint splatters. He could've sworn he was in his full-sized, navy blue bed. He could've sworn he was at home, with his adoptive mother hovering over him with a smile on her face and his adoptive father asking them both if they'd seen his reading glasses.

But, he wasn't.

Instead of home, he saw a sterile white bed on an old wooden frame above him. A top bunk. He looked around at the dusty, cold room and unconsciously pulled his blanket up to his neck. He could hear the distant shouting of children playing and a weird humming sound, like a heater running._ The orphanage_, he realized after a moment.

Sanji sighed, pulling the covers up over his head. He liked the orphanage, yes, but he had to hope. For weeks he'd been without the warmth of a real home, so he didn't know why he still hoped. Although, it was probably more of an expectation than a hope. Even during those lonely weeks, he'd been able to stay in his adoptive parents' house._ But, I got back to the orphanage yesterday..._

The blond rolled out of bed quite literally and dragged the blanket out with him. He wrapped himself up like a cocoon and sat back down on the side of his bed. Sanji sat for a minute, just taking things in. Not the room, he had already absorbed and accepted the deserted qualities of the room. He was trying to wrap his brain around being back.

A delayed thought reached Sanji's brain then, and he stood up off his bed. He backed up until he was nearly against the opposite wall, standing on his tip-toes to see onto the top bunk. A bright green blanket was bundled up in the middle of the stark white sheets, with a slightly-lighter green patch at the top.

Sanji didn't know what to do about that. "That" being Zoro. He couldn't believe he'd let him stay the night, anyway. Because, really? Zoro had to go get his blanket and his pajamas from Luffy's room, and he had asked Sanji to pick which bed he wanted, making the whole thing weirder. The top bunk was Zoro's, Sanji had told him. Didn't he know that?

Even through all the awkwardness, though, he had let Zoro stay. Whether it was because he wanted things to be the same or because he didn't want to be alone, he didn't know. But, it hadn't made much difference. They didn't talk, he didn't sleep, and Zoro snored like a pig with a bullhorn.

He really didn't know what to do. He supposed getting dressed was a start, though, so he went over to his bag and pulled out fresh clothes. Sanji peeked up at the top bunk again; making sure Zoro was still asleep before he dumped his blanket back onto his own bed. For good measure, Sanji turned his back to Zoro as he pulled off his shirt. Sure, they'd seen each other absolutely naked, since each floor only had two bathrooms with three showers each and no curtains or doors or anything. But, his chest was all torn up. He didn't want Zoro to see.

Sanji looked down at himself, smoothing out the slightly stained bandages as he saw fit. The bandages covered his belly, his ribs, and all the really bad spots. The minor scratches remained uncovered, giving him a stripy look all up and down his arms and the visible part of his chest. He was a green and purple zebra, he decided. Sanji laughed at his own thoughts as he picked up a fresh sweater.

"What are you...?"

Zoro's voice caused Sanji to jump. He pulled the light sweater on quickly and turned around to face Zoro like he'd been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "What? What do you mean? I'm just getting dressed!" Sanji said quickly.

The older boy narrowed his eyes briefly. "Is that so? Well, don't mind me," Zoro said challengingly, staring at Sanji. The blond gulped. Zoro waved at him to continue. "Go ahead. Really. I don't mind."

"Well, I do! Unlike you, I possess a thing called modesty!" Sanji said, turning away from Zoro and grabbing the pants he intended to wear. Sanji made to leave the room, but Zoro launched himself off his bed faster than anybody in existence, landing right in Sanji's way. The blond jumped back with an undignified squeak, clutching his pants like a lifeline. But, he recovered quickly and threw the piece of clothing at Zoro. "You stupid- You could've landed on me!"

"But, I didn't." Zoro shrugged nonchalantly, crossing his arms over his solid white shirt.

Sanji noticed, then, that Zoro was at least an inch taller than him. He wasn't as intimidated as he might have been a year and a half ago, he realized. He'd never seen Zoro do anything like throw a punch, or stab somebody. Why had he been intimidated all that time ago?

"Oi! Earth to Dart brow!" Zoro waved his hand in front of Sanji's face and the blond slapped it away. "Huh? What's your problem?"

"You," Sanji said simply, picking his pants up off the floor and glaring at Zoro. Begrudgingly, he finished changing while Zoro watched. Put aside the creep-factor, it was unnerving for him to see Zoro staring at the scratches and bruises on his legs. They weren't as bad as his arms, but it still looked like he took a bad fall. It didn't help matters that he was white as could be, causing all the dark bruises and cuts to really pop.

When Sanji was finished dressing, he waited for Zoro to say something. To ask about how he got injured, or if somebody did that to him deliberately. But, Zoro didn't say anything. He just looked at Sanji straight in the eyes for a strangely long second, and then climbed back into bed.

Sanji was almost offended. Who does that? Who sees injured people, especially people they know, and doesn't ask what happened to them?

"Go see the nurses. They'll want to take a look at those," Zoro said, not looking at him. Sanji looked up at Zoro, expecting what, he didn't know. But, he was disappointed to see that Zoro seemed to want to ignore him.

"Yeah, okay," Sanji mumbled, glancing at his bag, then at Zoro once more before leaving the room.

oOo

His first stop was the little nook of an infirmary, and all the nurses that he recognized remembered him too. They all fussed over the scratches he'd let them see, covering him with Band-Aids. Sanji had complained the whole time, saying it was too much and that he was fine, but, honestly, he didn't mind. It was nice to be fussed over once in a while.

When he finished there, he went straight to the kitchen for two reasons. One, he really missed helping in the kitchen. His adoptive parents wouldn't let him. And two, the nurses had been griping amongst themselves about having to send volunteers from the nursery to the kitchen on extremely short notice. When he asked why, the nurse that was putting a Band-Aid on his cheek told him that local chefs had suddenly decided they'd be over to make lunch that day.

In the back of his mind, Sanji wondered if they were the same chefs as last time. He wasn't really hoping, just wondering, because he still hadn't been able to place where he'd seen that peg-leg *Ossan before. That had come back to bug him quite a few times since he saw Zeff the chef.

Sanji got to the kitchen at just after ten in the morning, after breakfast, but before lunch, the time when all the kitchen hands usually rested or calmly did dishes. But, the kitchen was not a place of rest. The sink was full and getting fuller still as seven or eight volunteers scrambled to clear and wipe the counters and the floor. The skinny old chef, always one to push dish-washing onto someone else, was sitting on a barstool scrubbing their biggest cooking pot clean.

Sanji stepped forward into the room, waving slightly to get someone's attention. When that didn't work, he cleared his throat and asked, "May I help?"

The old chef's head snapped up and he stared with wide eyes at Sanji for a second. "I see," he mumbled to himself, still furiously scrubbing the pot in his lap. "There's a spare scrub brush in the bottom cabinet on the right, there. Well? Hurry up, kid, we got work t' do!"

Sanji didn't even take the time to be surprised. He got right to work beside the old chef, washing dishes.

oOo

Not a minute too soon, they finished cleaning up the kitchen. A timid volunteer girl from the front desk peeked into the kitchen and told them the restaurant's van was pulling up out back and the skinny old chef immediately shooed the nursery volunteers out of the kitchen with less-than-apparent gratitude. "You too! Git!" The chef ushered Sanji out just as the delivery door opened in the back of the kitchen. Through the closing door, Sanji could just barely see the kitchen hands greeting their visitors, but he couldn't see the visitors.

"Why can't I help cook? I've proven myself, haven't I?" Sanji pouted, planting his feet so the chef couldn't push him any further.

The skinny old chef snorted. "You have to be in top condition to help in the kitchen, kid."

"But, that doesn't make sense! I already helped! I helped clean everything up, and that's a lot harder than cooking! Let me help!"

But, the old chef wasn't listening. He turned and went back into the kitchen, leaving the door to swing shut behind him while Sanji stood out in the hall. Sanji frowned. _I guess they_ really_ missed me_, he thought.

He didn't know what to do. He wanted to help cook, very much, actually, but he supposed he should go see his friends. They still had a lot of catching up to do, and he had yet to meet Nami's new roommate. Yeah, that's what he was going to do.

Sanji started down the narrow hall between the kitchen and the lobby, passing the door to the dining room on the way. He was almost out into the lobby when the kitchen door burst open and a cursing chef stepped out. "-that's why I'm the boss, you _idiot_!"

Startled, Sanji whirled around. A rumpled-looking peg-leg chef spat profanities to himself just outside the swinging kitchen doors. When he saw Sanji, though, he stopped. The blond boy waved at him briefly, because he couldn't think of anything else to do, but Zeff the chef just stood there, looking him over.

Finally, Zeff snorted. "Guess you were all talk," he commented.

"Huh?" Sanji frowned, confused and offended. "What are you talking about, Geezer?"

Zeff scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest. "You talked a big game, but look at you? You're a slacker. You'll need at least a hundred years of training to be a chef, let alone the world's greatest!"

Sanji narrowed his eyes at the man. "_What_? That's what you have to say? I didn't _slack off_, stupid old coot. I... Never mind." Sanji groaned, not wanting to talk to some crazy old man about his problems. It wasn't Zeff's business, anyway. "I _want_ to cook, so I _will_ get better, and that's all there is to it."

"That right?" Zeff asked, smirking at Sanji. "I won't believe it 'til I see it!"

Sanji stuck out his chin bravely. "Bring it on!"

oOo

Zoro drummed his fingers against the bedframe impatiently. Where the hell did Sanji go? He was supposed to go see the nurses and then be right back. At least, that's what Zoro had hoped. He wanted to make sure Sanji was okay. He had to keep an eye on him. So, why did he even tell him to go in the first place?

He groaned, burying his face in the pillow on his old bed. He didn't know what he was doing, or why he would act the way he had. It was just confusing. He wanted to ask Sanji about what happened to him, especially now that he'd given the younger boy some time and space. It had killed him earlier not to ask the second he saw Sanji's scratched-up legs. Whatever happened to him couldn't have been good, he knew. But, Sanji didn't look like he would say anything, so Zoro waited. And waited.

And there he was, a whole night and an hour and a half later, still waiting. But, he was just about out of patience. He'd never been very patient, but when it came to Sanji it seemed his fuse was so much shorter. He had to know what Sanji wasn't telling anybody else. He just had to.

Before Zoro could throw himself out of bed for the second time that day, the door opened. Sanji entered the room with his hand held close to his chest, not seeming to realize that someone else might still be in the room. "Where have you been?"

Sanji jumped, starting to say something as he turned around and then stopping himself. "Geez! I thought you'd be elsewhere by now, Moss!" Sanji panted, pushing his hair back with the hand that wasn't covering his chest. He sort of glared at Zoro for a second, but a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"What?" Zoro asked, somewhat accusingly.

Sanji's implied smile broke out into a grin. "I got to help in the kitchen," he bragged.

Zoro frowned. "They let you? Weren't you supposed to be getting checked-up by the nurses?"

"I did!" Sanji pointed to the Band-Aids on his jaw and forehead. "See? It was like a Band-Aid tornado in there. They said I'd be okay, though."

Zoro sat up in his bed, frowning at Sanji despite the blonde's persistent smile. "So? Did you tell them what happened to you?"

Sanji's smile dropped. "No."

The older boy put up his hands in defense. "Just a question! Geez. Don't get all depressed on me!"

Sanji shook his head, walking over to his bed and sitting down with a thud. "Anyway," he sighed, "I was helping in the kitchen, to actually cook, by the way, and all the chefs treated me like a kid. It was so annoying. But, they still let me help, so, whatever. Oh! And, that weird moustache chef said I couldn't cook, but I showed him I could and he actually said I did a good job! But, they did banish me because of my wrist..." Sanji paused then, and Zoro couldn't see him, but he was sure Sanji was messing with the bandage on his wrist. "But, it was fun," Sanji finished.

Zoro climbed down off his bed and sat on the end of Sanji's bed. He tried to convey what he wanted to say without asking aloud, but Sanji just looked at him expectantly. "... Is your wrist hurting?" Zoro asked, finally, after a minute of failed telepathy.

"A little," Sanji answered, holding up his bandaged wrist so Zoro could see. "It was just a fracture, though. The doctor said it wouldn't take long to heal."

Zoro reached for Sanji's wrist, hesitating only a second to look at Sanji for approval. The blond shrugged, wearing a curious expression as Zoro wrapped his fingers around Sanji's wrist gently. Zoro smoothed over the bandage with his thumb, not exactly sure what he was helping by doing that. "How did this happen?" Zoro asked quietly.

Sanji took a deep breath, pulling his legs up onto the bed. "Well... It's kind of a long story, but here goes."

*** Ossan - Mister, guy. It's generally used for someone older and it's not very polite.**

**How evil am I? xDD I hope to be more punctual next week. I sort of bypassed the whole beta-ing process because I was running late, so, my apologies, Llanyia! I only started writing this thing yesterday, so, I kind of ran out of time... Anyway, next time will be better, and I promise there'll be answers. ;)**


	24. Already

**Here it is, my all-important explanation! Er, I mean, S****anji's. Yeah.**

_"Well... It's kind of a long story, but here goes."_

"When I was adopted, I was transferred to a different school, you know, because the couple who adopted me live across the island from here. It was weird there, but nice. Except school. School was awful. Everybody there had dark hair and dark eyes and they didn't know what to think of me. Half liked me, half didn't. That's fine, though, I've never been popular anywhere. But, anyway, I got picked on because of... all the usual things-"

"Meaning, your eyebrows?" Zoro interjected helpfully.

Sanji looked at him seriously. "Yes. Meaning, my eyebrows. And my hair, and my clothes, and my adoption."

Zoro looked at him with wide eyes, but Sanji just shook his head. "Another time," he said. "For now, I thought you wanted to hear my story?"

"Yeah," Zoro said, nodding.

Sanji mimed zipping his own mouth shut and raised his eyebrows at Zoro before continuing. "Anyway, a lot of kids picked on me, so I got in a lot of fights. That's the truth. They weren't my fault, though," he paused, "mostly. But, all the bad ones weren't my fault. I'd been there for about six months before I could really defend mysel-"

"What? You can fight now? _You couldn't for six months_?" Zoro asked incredulously. Sanji narrowed his eyes at Zoro and the older boy put his hands up in defense. "Sorry. Continue."

"Thanks," Sanji mumbled, rolling his eyes. "Once I learned to defend myself, they just seemed to want to mess with me more. Eventually, I went home with a black eye and a fat lip, and my adoptive parents noticed. Before, I could always explain away dirt and little bruises, or else hide it from them. But, when they put the pieces together and figured out that I was being bullied, they freaked.

"I told the others that they gave me back because I kept getting into fights, and if they ask, that's what I told you, too, but that's not true. It sort of could be, I guess, but only by extension. The truth is, they insisted on picking me up from school everyday so they would know right away whether or not they needed to talk to the principal, and... well, in mid-February there was a blizzard... School let out early and I couldn't walk home... They came and picked me up and we were just talking... goofing off..."

"Sanji," Zoro began. He wasn't sure what he could really say, but he had to say something. Sanji looked like he was in pain. "You..."

"Let me finish, okay?" Sanji pleaded, turning his deep blue eyes on Zoro. Zoro nodded and Sanji looked away again, continuing his story. "I was sitting in the back seat and... Mom was looking back at me... She was telling me how glad she was that I hadn't gotten into any fights. And, Dad said he'd teach me how to really kick butt," Sanji paused in his speech to laugh. "Mom didn't like that. She got all squeaky and frantic anytime I even said the word 'fight.'" His smile disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. "She was lecturing Dad about encouraging bad behavior, but they were both smiling. It wasn't serious, until it just was."

His voice trailed away and Zoro just watched as Sanji stared off into his memories. He felt like he should do something, say something, but there was nothing he could do. "I can't... remember... exactly. I know what happened, but it was slow and fast at the same time and it was light and dark and up and down and I don't even know," Sanji said distantly. "It was like I was there, but I wasn't. I thought I saw it all happen from outside the car. But, I must have been inside."

"What...? I don't understand," Zoro said, eyebrows furrowed.

Sanji looked up, surprised. "A car accident," he said, almost like he was explaining the obvious. "The road was frozen. Well, I don't know that... I heard that somewhere. On the news, or from somebody at the little hospital on the other side of the island. But, all I really remember is... that feeling you get in the bottom of your stomach, when the elevator first starts moving. Only, everywhere. And, I remember being upside-down. And then, I was in the hospital."

"That's how you got hurt?" Zoro asked, his hand straying down from Sanji's wrist to grip the other's hand.

Sanji nodded. "Yeah... They told me I was lucky, though. Maybe they're right. I don't know," he mumbled, looking down at himself. "My, uh... adoptive father... died. In the accident. That was three weeks ago. My adoptive mother has been in a coma ever since."

"... I'm sorry."

For reasons that Zoro couldn't see, Sanji laughed. "It's not your fault. It's not... not anyone's fault."

"Yeah, well, I'm apologizing! So, deal with it," Zoro grumbled. Sanji laughed again, that time with more amusement. "It's not funny! I'm just trying to make you feel better, you stupid curly-brow!"

Sanji laughed again, despite Zoro's insult. "What, by holding my hand?" Sanji asked, bringing up their hands so Zoro could see. The older boy let go like Sanji burned him, only causing the blond to laugh harder.

"Shut up! I wasn't holding your hand!" Zoro defended himself, blushing as he stood up and stepped away from Sanji. Sanji kept laughing and Zoro growled. "Shut up! I wasn't!"

Sanji swallowed his smile and bit his lip, laughter still in his eyes. "I believe you," he said, with much difficulty. A second later, he was laughing again and Zoro huffed.

"It's not that funny, anyway, idiot," Zoro argued, though Sanji wasn't participating in any kind of debate. He'd already decided that, yes, it was that funny, and he was halfway to convincing Zoro of that as well. Still, Zoro clung to what little dignity he had left, "Stop laughing, already!"

Sanji wiped his eyes and stood up, still giggling. "Okay, okay," he relented, nodding. Then, a moment later, "Hey, you know what? I actually feel better now!" His grin turned from silly to sincere and he regarded Zoro with a grateful expression. "Thanks."

Zoro's eyes grew wide and Sanji laughed at him. "You didn't expect that?" Sanji asked, one hand hovering over his own abdomen. He was smiling up to the point he decided that Zoro was too surprised. "Listen here, Plant," he said, frowning. "You better stop acting so surprised, or I'll show you what I learned scares bullies off."

Spluttering into laughter, Zoro responded, "You? You can't scare me! I'm ten times stronger than you, anyway."

Sanji threw his head back and barked a laugh. "Ha! Okay, whatever! I could and I would kick your butt, if I weren't still on the idea of thanking you!"

Zoro's teasing demeanor dropped somewhat. "... No problem."

"I guess you're my friend, after all?" Sanji mused to himself thoughtfully. "That's good to know."

Conversation was derailed after that, and they just stood there. Zoro thought about what Sanji had said, about his whole story and his accident. And about having to lie to the others. That thought made his stomach churn a little. He had always been honest with his friends. Or, at least, he had never told what he would consider a "lie."

"Y'know, lunch should be done cooking by now. I bet we could meet up with the others in the dining room," Sanji said, fidgeting with the sleeves of his red sweater. "It'd be kind of weird, I think. Like, my first morning here... uh, the first time."

Zoro shook his head. "Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"For one, don't keep count," he said, giving Sanji a serious look. "And for another, don't act like anything will be different. You're still our nakama and that's how you'll be treated. If it's awkward at lunch, that's your fault."

Sanji's mouth fell open a little. "You... you seriously think that?" he asked, eyebrows coming together. "You think that a year and eight months makes no difference? Because it does. It does to me and to everyone else, too. It'll be weird, and... maybe it will be my fault anyway."

Zoro frowned. "And don't blame yourself. Do you have a complex or somethin'?"

"I don't know what that means," Sanji told him, shaking his head. Zoro rolled his eyes and Sanji reached out and thumped his forehead.

"Hey! Maybe I'll just go to lunch by myself and leave you here all alone!"

Sanji froze, arm half-raised still from thumping Zoro. His face was a blank mask and Zoro didn't know what he'd done, but it was disturbing to see such a sudden change. Zoro opened his mouth to say something, but Sanji shook his head quickly and turned for the door. "I'm gonna go find the others in the dining room," he announced, partially closing the door behind himself.

"Hold on a second!" Zoro called after him, following Sanji through the hall and down the first set of stairs before he spoke again. "What's going on with you? Are you bipolar or something?"

Sanji glanced back at him. "No," he answered shortly.

"Then why the hell are you running? I thought you just said-" He stopped himself. If Sanji was going to act like that, Zoro thought, then he wouldn't bring up what Sanji had said about them being friends, because that would imply he cared. When, in fact, he thought Sanji was stuck-up and not worth it. That was right, Zoro decided. "Never mind."

Sanji raised his chin slightly, acknowledging Zoro's words. "Alright, then. See ya." Sanji exited onto the second floor and the door swung shut behind him, leaving Zoro to his thoughts. Zoro didn't know what to do, but he could feel himself getting angry. Fine. If that's how it was going to be, then he would be angry. That would serve Sanji right.

oOo

"Sanji-kun! Where've you been? I wanted to introduce you to Vivi-chan!" Nami waved him into her room and Sanji greeted her politely as he passed her. The room was messier than he'd ever seen it, papers and clothes strewn across the floor. Aside from that, Sanji noticed a girl with a shoulder-length blue ponytail fervently whispering at something under her bed.

"Vivi-chan, don't bother with that chicken right now! I've got someone I'd like you to meet!" Nami huffed, putting her hands on her hips.

The blue-haired girl bumped her head on the bedframe and made a high sound of surprise before turning around and standing to face them. "Oh, uh, hi there. I was just-"

"Sanji-kun, this is Vivi-chan. Vivi-chan, this is Sanji-kun." Nami looked and gestured to each one as she said their name. Sanji laughed at Nami's pushiness, despite his previous bad mood, and smiled at Vivi.

"Nice to meet you, Vivi-chan," Sanji said, bowing slightly at the waist. Vivi blushed and curtsied, her light blue eyes aimed at the floor.

"Umm, nice to meet you... Sanji-kun," she mumbled, fiddling with her dress. A strange quacking sound caused Sanji and Vivi to jump, but Nami just rolled her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I, uh, Carue is... please excuse me!" Vivi dropped to her knees and peered under her bed again.

Sanji and Nami exchanged a look, Sanji questioning, Nami telling him to wait and see. "Carue, don't you want to meet Sanji-kun, too?" Vivi asked, reaching her arm into the darkness under her bed. Another little hiccup-sounding quack came then, almost like a reply, and Vivi puffed her cheeks out. "He seems quite nice, actually. You should meet people before you judge them, Carue, that's really not nice."

"Is she talking to a duck?" Sanji asked quietly, looking at Nami out of the corner of his eye.

The redhead sighed, nodding. "You'll get used to it," she replied.

"Come on, now, little one." Vivi reached further under her bed, smiling. "There you are! Now, you mustn't be rude, Carue. Come out of there, or I'll pull you out."

A small sound, almost like a sneeze, came from under the bed. Seconds later, a short, stout little yellow bird with long legs and a black spot on its tail and its beak came out from under Vivi's bed and hid behind the girl herself. "Oh, Carue, don't be scared! It's okay! Nobody's going to hurt you, Carue," Vivi said, trying to soothe the bird that was stubbornly hiding behind her legs as she stood.

Sanji crouched and looked at Carue, who peeked out from behind Vivi's legs and stared back at him. "It looks like a little tiny ostrich," Sanji observed. Carue quacked indignantly and Vivi laughed.

"He's a spot-billed duck," she explained, reaching down and gathering the bird into her arms. "And, he's my friend! Say 'hello' Carue."

"Qua," Carue quacked at Sanji. It didn't seem like a friendly "hello," but Sanji didn't particularly care about the tone. A duck was talking to him, after all. That was probably the strangest thing that had happened to him in a while.

"Uh, nice to meet you, ostrich," Sanji greeted. Carue quacked angrily and Nami and Vivi both laughed. "I mean, duck. That's what I said." Sanji could've sworn that duck was glaring at him, but he decided he'd let it go for now. If need be, he could always take the thing to the kitchen later.

"Oh, right. I was just headed to lunch, but I stopped by to see if you wanted to come, too?" Sanji mentioned, looking between Nami and Vivi. The girls smiled at him, one eagerly and one shyly.

"Of course, Sanji-kun! I've missed having lunch with you!" Nami took Sanji's hand and led the way out of the room. Sanji looked over his shoulder at Vivi and waved at her to follow, smiling. Vivi nodded and closed the door behind herself before catching up to walk beside Sanji.

"The others talk about you a lot," she said, hugging Carue to her chest. "I didn't expect I'd get to meet you."

Sanji raised his eyebrows. "They do, huh?" He glanced at Nami, who was grinning straight ahead. "Well, I didn't expect to be back, but I'm glad that I am. How long have you been here, Vivi-chan?"

Vivi smiled at him. "Five months. I think I'll get to leave soon, though. My father will notice that I am missing, and he'll come and get me." She nodded to herself and Carue quacked determinedly. Sanji's eyebrows shot up.

"You sound like Ussop!"

"So I've heard." Vivi glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, giggling. "I believe Ussop-san's story. I believe his father will come for him, too." She petted Carue merrily as she spoke. "It's only a matter of time, right, Carue?"

Sanji thought unwillingly of his own father, whom he hadn't heard a word from or about in two years. "Yeah... yeah, I believe that, too. Your dad will come and get you, and Ussop's dad will come and get him. Then, you'll both have families again."

Vivi nodded. "That's right."

They fell into silence after that as they ventured down to the dining room, Nami still pulling Sanji by the hand, and Vivi still cuddling Carue. Once they got down to the lobby, they met up with Ussop, who told them that Luffy and Zoro had already gone to lunch a few minutes ago. Sanji frowned at the mention of Zoro, but if anyone saw, they didn't mention it.

Nami, Sanji, Vivi, and Ussop all collected their lunches and located Zoro and Luffy at a table towards the back corner of the room. Nami held her tray of food in one hand and stuck out her other hand for Sanji to take. The blond smiled at her and, of course, took her hand, because he was a gentleman like that.

Vivi put Carue down as they approached the table and he followed her like a puppy. Ussop, bringing up the rear, had stacked extra food on his tray and was having trouble balancing it all as he sat down next to Luffy. "You guys, where've you been? We've been waiting forever!" Luffy said, excitedly.

"Sanji was meeting Vivi," Nami told him, sitting between Ussop and Sanji.

"Oh, that's good!" Luffy beamed. "What do you think, Sanji? Is she a good crew member?" He leaned across the table and stole a piece of bread from Sanji's tray as he spoke.

"Yep. She's good," Sanji decided, nodding. Vivi giggled, taking a seat on Sanji's other side, between him and Zoro. "Even her bird is okay." Carue hopped up into Vivi's lap and quacked at Sanji, sort of a flattered sound.

Sanji made the mistake of looking over at Zoro, noticing that Zoro was looking at him. Immediately, Zoro looked away with a distasteful expression and Sanji raised his eyebrows at him. But, Zoro made no move to explain himself.

"Oh, no. It looks like they're fighting again," Ussop commented, scooping a spoonfull of his lunch into his mouth and looking away before Zoro could glare at him. Luffy and Nami exchanged looks, eyebrows raised, while Vivi just looked confused.

"Already?" Luffy asked, looking to Zoro at his right, then at Sanji across the table. "I thought you guys were gonna get along this time!"

"Why? What happened before? Were Sanji-kun and Zoro-san not friends?" Vivi asked nervously, looking between Sanji and Zoro on either side of her. The tension was building quickly, leaving poor Vivi in the middle of it as a sharp staring match began.

"We're not fighting," Sanji said, almost like an order.

Zoro's eyes narrowed. "Yes, we are."

"No, we're not." Sanji tried to tell Zoro to drop it without actually saying those exact words, but Zoro ignored his demand.

"Yes, we are," Zoro said sharply, his jaw clenched tight.

"No, we're not!"

"Yes, we are!"

Nami groaned, putting her face in her hands. "This? So soon? Sanji-kun, stop fighting with Zoro," she grumbled to herself.

"I'm not!" Sanji shouted, attracting more than a few sets of eyes from around the dining room. "Zoro's the one fighting me! I haven't even done anything!"

"That's bull, and you know it, dart-brow."

"No, it isn't. I don't know what you're mad about, but you can't blame it on me!" Sanji propped his elbow on the table to block his view of Zoro and vice-versa, scooping out spoonfuls of his lunch only to pour them back in his bowl.

Presumably, Zoro did the same, as the table was jostled and he mumbled, "Yeah, I can."

The table fell into silence. All the occupants who weren't trying to ignore each other attempted to make conversation, but everything they said died off quickly when neither Sanji nor Zoro would respond. It was an agonizing fifteen minutes before Sanji decided he wasn't hungry, and left the table. He knew it wouldn't really make anything better, but he hoped the others would at least have a good lunch.

As for Zoro, well... Sanji couldn't quite decide what to think about him anymore. They always seemed to be teetering on the edge of friendship, slipping across the invisible line both ways. He wasn't sure how much more of that he could take.

**It could've been more central to Sanji's story, but... Ah, well. It happened how it happened. Tell me what you think!**


	25. Consistent

**Ahh, I should change my aim to Fridays so that I can post on Saturdays... fail. xD Oh, well. It's still the weekend right? Isn't it? ... Isn't it?**

Luffy and Ussop snickered to themselves and shooshed each other as they walked up to room 3-22. Ussop reached out for the knob and counted off his fingers as he turned it. One... Two... Three.

"Happy b-!" Their shouts halted abruptly upon seeing the nearly-empty room. "Where'd Sanji go?" Luffy asked, as if Ussop had any better idea. The two searched the room, looking under the bed and in all the drawers and under the pillow on the bottom bunk, and they even checked for a false book on the bookshelf that might possibly lead to a secret passage. But, there was nothing. Not a speck of clothing or a scrap of paper. Sanji was, they decided, officially missing.

oOo

"Hey, Nami, have you seen Sanji? It's his birthday," Luffy informed, standing before the redhead while Ussop looked inside any room whose door would open.

Nami shook her head. "No. I went looking for him this morning, but I couldn't find him. I checked his room, yours and Zoro's room, Ussop's room, the kitchen, and even the clubhouse. He wasn't anywhere. He'll turn up later, though, since he promised he'd spend his birthday with us."

Luffy pouted. "Hey, Ussop, Nami said she hasn't seen him either!" Luffy called, jogging down to the end of the hall, where Ussop was peering into a closet full of bedding.

Ussop put up his hand for Luffy to stop and glared dramatically at the sheets and blankets a moment longer before closing the door. "Well, if Nami hasn't seen him, then no one has!" Ussop exclaimed, tossing his hands up in the air.

"But, we have to find him! It's his birthday!" Luffy whined, as if that had anything to do with their ability to find their missing friend.

Nami rolled her eyes as she made her way over to them. "Did either of you ask Zoro?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising an eyebrow at them.

Luffy and Ussop shared a look. "Zoro wouldn't know. They're fighting right now, duh!" Luffy snorted, shaking his head at Nami. "You're not being very helpful, Nami."

"Yeah! You saw how they were fighting at lunch the other day," Ussop said, shrugging. "They're really mad at each other, so Sanji wouldn't tell Zoro where he was going..." Ussop trailed off for a minute, eyes bulging. "Gah! What if Zoro kidnapped him?!"

Nami smacked him upside the head with her fist. "Why would he do that, you idiot?!"

"Ow!" Ussop covered the growing lump on the back of his head with both hands. "I don't know! They do weird stuff when they're fighting!"

Luffy laughed. "Yeah, that's true! They're both pretty stupid. I wonder if Sanji kidnapped Zoro?" Luffy became suddenly serious, considering his own joke-theory. "What if-"

"If you're about to say something as stupid as I think you are, you better stop right now!" Nami threatened, jabbing a finger at Luffy, then at Ussop. "You either! Don't say another word, unless it's something that normal people would consider smart!"

Both boys stared at Nami for a minute, quiet and thinking. At the same time, they both opened their mouths and began to speak, but Nami held up a hand. "No," she said, rolling her eyes. "Let's just go look for Zoro, okay?"

"But, it's _Sanji's_ birthday!"

"I know that!" Nami snapped, crossing her arms over her chest again. "But, if none of us know where Sanji-kun is, then we have to ask Zoro and Vivi-chan, too, just in case." She nodded once and started down the hall, not even checking to see if they were following her. She knew they were.

oOo

Vivi was just leaving an interview as Nami and her posse of two began searching the interview hall. She smiled and waved at them with her free hand, clutching Carue in the other. "Hello, everyone. Are you looking for something?"

"Yep. We're looking for Sanji and Zoro," Luffy answered merrily, bending down and looking under a short table. "Not here!"

"Not here either!" Ussop announced, coming out of one of the mass-interview rooms with a grin on his face. "I looked in a jack-in-the-box!" he boasted. Ussop and Luffy both laughed hysterically.

"That's so stupid, Ussop! No one could hide in a jack-in-the-box!" Luffy laughed, slapping Ussop on the back. Then, he paused. "Well, except for Jack... Does Jack know where Sanji and Zoro are?"

Vivi laughed nervously, gravitating towards Nami and away from the boys. "U-uh... They're a little... crazy today, huh?" Vivi asked, petting Carue comfortingly. Luffy and Ussop's raucous laughter was making the duck fidget and complain.

The redhead shrugged. "It can't be helped. They're excited."

"Oh? What for?" Vivi asked, eyebrows raised.

Nami grinned at her. "It's Sanji-kun's birthday today. I think he's turning eleven," she said, nodding. Then, Nami remembered what they were doing. "Oh, you haven't seen Sanji-kun by any chance, have you?"

"I'm afraid not," Vivi answered, looking down at Carue. "I've only been to breakfast and interviews today, and I haven't seen Sanji-kun even once."

Nami hummed to herself thoughtfully. "It seems this is turning out to be a full-fledged mystery," Nami mumbled, tapping a finger against her lips and frowning at nothing. She glanced at Vivi out of the corner of her eye as they started down the hallway after the boys. "You wanna help me solve it?"

Vivi stood up straighter, beaming. "Of course!"

"Good, then!" Nami clapped her hands together under her chin. "We'll have to split up to be able to find him, but I'm sure he's still in the building. I'm gonna go check the kitchen again, so keep an eye on those two loons, okay?" Nami was already on her way to the kitchen before she even finished speaking.

"Yes, sir!" Vivi saluted and jogged to catch up with Luffy and Ussop.

In the kitchen, Nami found that not even the old chef, who had been in the kitchen constantly since dawn, had seen Sanji. She visited the nursery next, since she knew the nurses liked Sanji, but they hadn't seen him either. Just in case, she asked them if they'd seen Zoro and they replied that, yes, Zoro had been through there earlier that morning. Nami considered this a good piece of evidence.

After the nursery, she went to see Makino, who hadn't seen Sanji either. She could have figured as much, since in the nine days Sanji had been back, he'd been avoiding Makino like the plague. Nami reasoned that that was because she'd let him get adopted, but he hadn't exactly been Makino's biggest fan before the fact, either.

Nami came up dry everywhere she searched, which was almost literally everywhere. No one under the age of thirteen was allowed on the fourth floor, so she knew Sanji wasn't there. And, she'd checked behind every open door on the first and second floors without result. Sanji was nowhere to be found and, apparently, neither was Zoro.

"This game's not very fun," Nami grumbled to herself, trudging up the stairs to the third floor. She had nearly reached the third floor landing when the door burst open and Zoro charged out and rammed into the guard rail. Letting slide the fact that Zoro looked ticked off, Nami frowned at him. "We've been looking for you! Where've you been all morning?"

Zoro looked at her sharply and blatantly ignored her as he stomped down the stairs. His heavy footsteps echoed in the square chamber, voicing his temper for him. "What's got your panties in a twist this time?" Nami asked, rolling her eyes.

He stopped. Nami could only see the top of his head for how far he'd gone down the steps, but she could picture his eyebrow twitching and his eyes closing in annoyance. Zoro turned his head up to glare at her and snapped, "Leave me alone, witch."

Nami reached in her pocket and produced a stone that she threw at his head. "What have I told you about calling me that?" she asked, eyes narrowed. Zoro picked up the stone and wound up as if to throw it back at her, but Nami stopped him with a debt. Growling in frustration, Zoro threw the stone down the stairs and it clacked against the stone steps loudly several times before its descent ended. In the resonating sound left behind by the rock, Zoro started down the steps again.

Nami leaned on the railing and looked down at him. "Have you seen Sanji today? Me and Luffy and Ussop and Vivi-chan were looking for him, but we haven't seen him."

Zoro paused again, halfway down to the first floor. He just stood there for a few seconds and Nami wondered if he was going to say anything at all right as Zoro began to speak. "I saw him this morning, in the hall on the ground floor. I haven't seen him in hours," Zoro said, almost blandly. But, Nami knew better.

"You know it's his birthday, right? Did you say 'happy birthday' when you saw him earlier?" She could only guess she'd pressed the right buttons when Zoro flinched slightly.

"None of your damn business!" Zoro shouted, stomping the rest of the way down the stairs and launching himself out into the lobby. Nami smirked to herself. She'd definitely hit the right buttons. Their fight would be resolved soon enough, she knew.

oOo

The administrations office on the ground floor was a rather large room, but it felt cramped and uncomfortably warm, even in the chill of early March. File cabinets and bookcases lined the walls, blocking the bottom half of the window at the back of the room. Stacks of papers cluttered the wide desk, looking like grass around the base of a swivel lamp and a clunky monitor. The beady-eyed, stern-looking old woman behind the desk was the scary icing on the metaphoric crap-cake that was his day thus far.

"I-"

The old woman put up her hand sharply, leering at him over her glasses. "I'll have no excuses, young man. What you did was wrong, and shall not happen again!" she snapped, her aged voice reminding him of a witch.

Sanji frowned at her. "No, ma'am, it wasn't wrong. And, I'm not making excuses! I'm owning up to it!" He stuck out his chest boldly, but the old woman just scoffed.

"Children, these days. No discipline. No discipline, whatsoever!" She harped to herself, shuffling through a small stack of papers with a very prominent frown on her face. After a minute, she looked up at Sanji. "You're still here? Be on your way, boy. I've got better things to do than babysit a delinquent child!"

Without needing to be told twice, Sanji hopped up and left the crowded office. He hurried, just in case she changed her mind and decided to lecture him again. What he'd done really wasn't as bad as the staff was making it out to be.

Sanji carefully opened the door leading out, remembering that the door was behind the front desk. Before that day, he hadn't realized there was a door back there, since there was always a receptionist at the desk, but, as it turned out, the receptionist played gatekeeper for the evil old woman hiding away in the back room. Sanji shivered. She was scary.

The woman behind the desk smiled at him sympathetically as he passed, although she hadn't been told what he was in trouble for. He figured she would see things about the same way as the few staff members that knew what he'd done saw things. He'd rather not be around people who thought it was wrong to visit one's only known relative.

_Well, she isn't exactly..._ Sanji stopped the thought at that. He couldn't disown her as his mother just because they weren't related by blood. Maybe, when she woke up, she'd want him to be her son again. He couldn't decide if he wanted that or not, after being back with his friends for over a week now._ On that subject, I should probably find them. I left pretty early this morning, so they're probably worried._

Sanji opened the door into the stairwell and it clacked. He peered inside the confined stairway, looking around and on the floor. Sanji stepped inside and let the door close, searching the floor behind the door. "Ah! Where'd that come from?" Sanji reached down and picked up a rough stone off the floor. He turned it over in his hand a couple of times before he shrugged and stuffed it in his pocket. It wasn't terribly important, he decided, but he'd take it with him.

The walk up to the second floor was uneventful, but the second he stepped onto the second floor, he heard voices. A lot of voices, by the sound of them, and slightly muffled. But, he could tell who it was. "Guys?" Sanji called, hoping the door was open on whoever's room they were in. Ussop, Nami and Luffy all had rooms on the second floor, so Sanji couldn't very well pick which way to go without a little help.

The noise quieted and Sanji looked to the left, then the right. Probably the least helpful thing they could have done was be quiet, he thought, venturing a few paces to the right. Two of his friends' rooms were that way, so he called out again. "Guys? Where are you?"

"_Sanji-kun!_" He couldn't determine whether it was Nami or Vivi, but it was followed by three other voices, all addressing him. "_We're in Luffy's room!_"

Sanji walked with purpose down the hall and barely passed the turn when he was ambushed. "Happy birthday!" Confetti was thrown at him and Sanji laughed, putting his hands up to block his face from the glittery assault.

"Where've you been, Sanji?! It's nearly lunch time!" Luffy complained, grabbing another handful of confetti from the bag Ussop was holding and tossing it in the air.

"Yeah, we've been looking for you! Were you hiding or something?" Ussop took his turn throwing out a handful of confetti in Sanji's face.

The blond giggled again, ducking away from the confetti rain. "Sorry guys, I went out this morning," he said, brushing the bits of rainbow confetti out of his hair. "I had to leave early so I could get back before too long."

"And, you didn't tell me?!" Nami shrieked, appearing from the doorway of Luffy's room. "What could possibly have been so important that you had to leave your friends on your birthday?"

Sanji smiled, though he was losing his cool a little. "I went to the hospital, see?" Sanji pushed up his sleeves and revealed bandage-less arms. "I'm free. My wrist can breathe again!"

His friends congratulted him on that point and they took his explanation as good enough to forgive him for disappearing. He wasn't really lying to them, he knew, because he _had_ gotten his bandages off while he was at the hospital. It bothered him a little that he couldn't tell his friends about his adoptive mother though, but they would only be unnecessarily depressed.

Vivi stepped up beside Sanji. "Have you been carrying that all day, Sanji-kun?" she asked, pointing to Sanji's bag.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I guess I have," Sanji said, noticing his bag for the first time in hours. He'd taken it with him to the hospital, but he'd forgotten it soon after. Now that he was thinking of it, his bag was getting kind of heavy. He readjusted the strap on his shoulder.

Nami and Vivi shared a look as Luffy and Ussop interrogated Sanji on his morning adventures. A moment later, Nami called over the noise, "Y'know, you should probably put that away, Sanji-kun. It looks heavy and you said you've been carrying it all day... We'll wait here, won't we, boys?" She stepped between Ussop and Luffy and grabbed hold of their arms. "Go on, go on."

All three boys shared curious looks before Sanji looked back to Nami and smiled gratefully. "Okay. Thanks, Nami. I'll hurry," he promised, waving over his shoulder as he turned and went back the way he came. Only when he reached the stairs did he allow himself to realize how weird and random that was. Something was up with Vivi and Nami.

But, he didn't linger on the thought too long. They were doing him a favor. His bag was heavy and they realized that. Plus, they were saving him from the massive amounts of confetti that some poor, dumb soul had given to Ussop and Luffy.

Sanji almost missed his room as he was walking down the hall. He usually counted the doors as he passed, or looked at the numbers, but his door was wide open, such that he couldn't see either. Sanji stepped up to his doorway and just looked around, not sure what to think about his door being wide open. He'd certainly closed it behind himself when he left. "Hello?"

Something stirred in his room and he took a step back, just in case. Then, Zoro stumbled into view. "You! Where the hell have you been?" Zoro roared and Sanji stared at him, shocked.

"Uhh... You're the same Zoro that ignored me this morning, right?" he asked, honestly confused. Was _everyone_ looking for him this morning?

Zoro looked vaguely offended. "I asked you a question, damn it!"

Sanji's expression flattened into unimpressed. "Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow at Zoro as he stepped into his room and dropped his bag on the bed. "You can go away, now, Marimo."

"Hey! Don't avoid the damn question, dart-face! Answer m-"

"Now, what's with that attitude, Zoro? Three curses in the same two minutes..." Sanji shook his head, leaving the rest to Zoro's imagination. Sanji turned to leave his room, but Zoro grabbed his arm and yanked him back.

"Where are you going _now_?" Zoro looked exasperated, and maybe like he wanted to hit something. Sanji couldn't figure him out.

"I'm going to go hang out with my friends," Sanji said, hoping Zoro caught that he wasn't one of them. "I'd rather not have a worse day, thanks."

Zoro started to say something and stopped, seeming to process Sanji's words. He stood there glaring at nothing and keeping a tight hold on Sanji's arm for a moment or two before he groaned and let go, stepping away. Zoro rubbed his face with both hands, pacing across the room and grumbling to himself.

Sanji's eye twitched. "Oookay?" He watched Zoro's odd behavior, confused and a little ticked off, trying to decipher whatever was wrong. But, he still took the opportunity to edge himself closer to the door.

Zoro yelled something indistinct, "gah," or "argh," maybe, and threw his arms up suddenly. "I'm not trying to make your day worse! I was just- ugh!" Zoro was having trouble with his words again, Sanji knew. He was trying to say something that his pride or something equally dumb was keeping him from saying.

Sanji wasn't in any mood to coax Zoro along. It was his birthday, dammit; he should be able to enjoy it without retarded moss balls interrupting. "Well, if you're just gonna 'ugh,' I'll be on my way," Sanji said, waving once and starting out into the hall.

"Just- How old are you today?"

Sanji stopped. Had he told Zoro when his birthday was? He couldn't remember. Maybe the others had told him? Or, maybe Zoro just randomly wondered how old he was? That would be a Zoro thing to do, Sanji decided. "Eleven," he said, without turning around.

He couldn't see Zoro, but he knew he was going to say something. He could feel the mental struggle in the air. "I forgot, you're younger than me," Zoro said, almost to himself, like he was just thinking out loud.

The blond's eyebrow twitched. "And?"

There was a long pause filled only with silence before Zoro said, "Happy birthday."

Those two words seemed to power-wash Sanji's brain, leaving it blank and spinning. He didn't know what to do. Zoro was the one who started their fight, obviously, and he was being a giant butt about it, and Sanji knew that if he gave an inch, Zoro would win. But, he wanted to give that inch. He wanted to celebrate his birthday with all his friends because Zoro certainly _was_ one, at least half the time. He didn't want to be fighting with anyone anymore because it was exhausting and it was much easier to just not argue. And, if the person in question were anyone other than Zoro, he would easily accept that.

Sanji sighed. He didn't want to forgive Zoro and have the idiot turn around and start another fight. He didn't want to deal with that. But, was it better not to forgive Zoro at all? To give no chances?

"Thank you," Sanji said, after what had to have been five minutes of nothing at all. A second later, he'd forgotten what his tone was as he said those words, whether it sounded genuine or angry. He turned around to look at Zoro, to clarify that he meant it when he said "thank you," but Zoro was grinning. He understood.

No longer feeling the need to elaborate, Sanji started towards the stairs. Zoro caught up quickly, falling into stride beside Sanji. It occurred to him that he and Zoro make up pretty easily after one or the other of them gives in. Consistently. Why? He didn't understand. Then, something else crossed his mind.

"I think Nami set me up!"

**No stars, again. I'll have to put in some French sooner or later. ;D**

**Well, I, for one, enjoyed that chapter. Writing it was a blast! And, I realize I'm still skirting putting them in school, but I'll get around to it. They need enemies, yo! (I apologize, I'm reading a book right now where one character uses "yo" in an almost obscene way.) xD Reviews!**


	26. Substitute

**Well, I suppose I can't claim update consistency anymore. Dx I am soooo sorry that this is late! I don't know if you guys even remember at this point, but this story was supposed to be updated on Saturday... In any case, enjoy...**

"I don't see him. Do you see him, Sanji?" Ussop held onto Sanji's arm as they pushed through the torrent of kids in search of Luffy, with whom they had their second class of the day.

"No... Maybe he's there already?" Sanji suggested, steering Ussop away from bumping into a group of snickering girls. "Or, he found Zoro and the two of them went and got lost. That's a possibility, isn't it?" the blond asked with a snort.

Ussop laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like them!" he said, looking in a supply closet for what good it would do. "Zoro's on the second floor, though, y'know. Middle school."

"When has a set of stairs ever stopped him?" Sanji mumbled, glancing at one of the four wide stairways that led up to the second floor. The first floor of the extensive building was for elementary students, the second floor for middle school. Sanji hadn't ever been up the stairs because he had no middle school classes, but in the few weeks that he had been back at the orphanage he had seen Zoro going up and down the stairs several times a day. Presumably, because he was lost.

They made their way to the classroom, social studies as it were, discussing where they thought the combined two-heads-are-worse-than-one of Luffy and Zoro may have ended up. Ussop strongly believed they were in the high school building next door, whereas Sanji believed they were across town somewhere.

But, they were neither.

"I've been looking all over for you guys!" Luffy announced the moment Sanji and Ussop set foot in the classroom. "What, were you lost or something? You've been here for a while, so you shouldn't get lost anymore. That's stupid."

"You're one to talk!" Ussop scolded, slapping Luffy upside the head. "We were looking for you, idiot!"

Luffy's eyes got big. "Oh? Why?"

"Obviously, because you were missing!" Ussop shouted. Several kids in the classroom laughed, including Sanji who tried to hide it behind his hand. "Oi, oi! You were with me! You were looking for him, too!"

Sanji snickered again, moving over to stand next to Luffy. "Yes, but didn't I say he was already here?" Sanji said, raising his eyebrows at Ussop who sighed in frustration, grumbling about technicalities and lying blonds.

"Haha, you guys are so stupid, fighting over dumb things," Luffy said, laughing. Suddenly, he put on his serious face. "Oh, that reminds me! I was looking for you guys so I could tell you something important... what was it again?" Luffy tilted his head to one side and frowned in thought, arms crossed.

"That reminds you that you forgot?" Sanji questioned, taking a seat in the middle row. "I think you're the stupid one, Luffy."

"Exactly! See, I'm not the only one who thinks so!" Ussop exclaimed, plopping down in the desk behind Sanji's.

Luffy frowned further, sitting at the desk to Sanji's left. "It was really important... I ran into this wimpy kid earlier and he warned me... But, I can't remember what it was..." The raven-haired boy tilted his head to the other side, trying to find the right angle to remember at. "Something like... dangerous? Or, maybe it was a vegetable lunch today?"

The bell shrieked from far away and everyone in the room cringed, sitting up straighter or sitting down quickly if they weren't already seated. Luffy was tapping a finger to his nose, seemingly trying to look at his own eyebrows and making thoughtful sounds in the echoing silence.

Suddenly, there were heavy stomping sounds down the hall and nervous children looked around, trying to see out the doorway without leaving their seats. Luffy dropped a fist into his palm and grinned. "Oh, I remember now. A substitute teacher!"

"Oi! Who's the most beautiful teacher in the world?!" A growly, somewhat female voice rumbled in the doorway. The wood creaked as a massive figure in a way-too-small pants suit made its way into the room to stand behind the teacher's desk. The gargantuan woman had curly dark hair that spilled over her shoulders and dark, beady eyes that glared around the room at all the young faces that suddenly resembled animals stuck in the headlights of a car.

"Well?!" The growly woman gave a pointed look to a pink-haired boy at the back of the class.

"U-uhm... You, Miss Substitute Teacher?" the kid stammered.

"Exactly! Don't question it, boy! My name is Alvida, and I'm the merciful soul who'll be putting up with all your kiddy crap for the rest of the school year!" She snatched up a piece of chalk and harshly wrote Ms. Alvida on the blackboard as she shouted. "All of you had better remember that!"

Ussop squeaked and Sanji looked over his shoulder at him. "Calm down. She's just some teacher, she can't actually hurt anyone," Sanji whispered, reaching back and thumping Ussop's forehead so he'd stop mumbling to himself.

Luffy turned to them and asked in his normal talking voice, "Are you really scared of some big fat lady?"

Alvida's chalk broke and the room fell silent. Slowly, she turned her head to look over her shoulder at the class. "Who said that?!" she bellowed, whirling the rest of her body around to face the class. "Who dares insult me?!"

"Luffy!" Ussop whispered harshly behind his hand. "You shouldn't talk so loud!"

"But, it's true. Doesn't she look fat to you? And mean. Is that even a woman?" Luffy questioned aloud. Sanji face palmed.

Alvida angry eyes flew to Luffy. "You! You insolent brat!" She grabbed the blackboard eraser, tromped over to Luffy and whacked him on the head with it. "Don't you know who I am?!" She hit him again. "Hasn't anyone ever told you to respect your elders, especially those as beautiful as I?!"

Luffy had chalk dust all in his hair when Alvida stopped her temper tantrum. He brushed his hair off a little as he laughed. "Doesn't hurt!" He grinned.

Alvida's face was red and pulled harsh with anger and a vein bulged in her neck when she yelled, "OUT INTO THE HALL! NOW!" She pointed with the eraser at the door and her eye twitched.

Shrugging, Luffy laughed again as he got up out of his seat and stepped out of the classroom. "Keep an eye on my bag for me, guys!" he called waving merrily before disappearing to the left behind the doorway.

"Does anyone _else_ have anything to say?!" Alvida spat.

"No, ma'am!"

oOo

"That really happened? Wow, I'm glad I'm only in fifth grade," Nami commented, waving her sandwich half at the boys. "My teachers aren't psychotic whales."

"Yeah, right! We had the same teachers last year!" Ussop shouted, pointing an accusing finger at Nami. "What about the Pinwheel ossan-sensei? He's a weirdo. And, that crazy afro guy, too." Ussop sat back in his seat, digging in his backpack for something while he spoke.

Luffy laughed. "I like the pinwheel ossan, and the crazy bush-man!" He shoved a handful of chips in his mouth and continued to talk, but no one understood what he was saying. The table in front of him was covered in a smattering of half-chewed chips before he finished speaking.

"That's bad manners, Luffy," Sanji scolded, elbowing Luffy in the side. "You should chew with your mouth shut, especially in front of a lady!"

Nami smirked. "Thank you, Sanji-ku~n."

"My pleasure," he cooed, smiling back at her before turning to Luffy, who was shoving half a sandwich in his mouth, and putting one hand on top of his head and the other under his jaw and forcing his mouth closed. "You're such a pig, Luffy."

"Ne, you guys," Ussop said, waving a little to get their attention. "Has anyone seen Zoro?" Everyone at the table looked around. "And, Vivi, too," Ussop added, half standing and looking around the room.

"Oh, yeah, Vivi-chan told me she was going to get Zoro, since last time he only showed up with five minutes to spare for lunch," Nami said, peeling a long strip off her mikan. "I told her it was a good idea, so she went. It's only been ten minutes, though." The three boys laughed.

"That sounds right!"

"Vivi-chan is so nice."

"Are you gonna eat that?"

oOo

Zoro let Vivi lead the way only because she was a girl and she insisted, not because he didn't know how to get there. He just didn't want to hurt her feelings. Yeah. She had asked politely enough, so he complied.

The blue haired girl was talking as they descended the stairs, but if Zoro were to be honest, he wasn't listening. She looked back at him occasionally with her polite smile, but he only caught a few words here and there. He wasn't in the mood to pretend like he was interested in whatever anyone had to talk about. Stupid school was the worst and he only wanted to stew in it for the time being.

"-nji-kun says he has dreams all the time, but I don't really. I wonder what causes this."

"Hm?" Zoro looked up from watching his shoes and Vivi looked back at him. She paused for a moment, blinking at him as they walked. "... Wasn't listening. Sorry."

Vivi smiled kindly. "I see. That's alright. I wasn't saying anything really important... did you want me to repeat myself?" she asked, raising her eyebrows at him. Zoro didn't respond, instead fiddling with the zipper on his bag. Vivi smiled, taking that as her cue to continue. "Well, I... I was just telling- er, you, I guess, about my conversation with Sanji-kun the other day. He was telling me about a nightmare he had and asked me if I had bad dreams, too.

"Of course, I have had bad dreams, but only when I was younger. I don't dream much and I told him as much. He said he was jealous of me." Vivi blushed as she recounted the conversation. "Sanji-kun told me about a few of his dreams, so I think I am jealous of him as well."

Zoro raised an eyebrow at her, but he wasn't going to say anything.

Vivi responded anyway. "He dreams of magical things and worlds with giant sea monsters and crazy weather. He's got a very good imagination in his sleep, but I can only imagine such things while I am awake."

"Hmm." Zoro looked at the doors on the left side of the hall as they walked and Vivi giggled at something that he was assuming, for her sake, was not him. He'd never heard Sanji speak about dreams like that, even though he'd been his roommate before and had stayed the night in Sanji's room once or twice more recently.

The echoey commotion of the lunch room broke their silence and Vivi sighed. "Good thing I brought a lunch from the orphanage today... We are awfully late." The two walked into the cafeteria, Vivi in front of Zoro, and searched for their friends' table. Luffy was standing in his chair, waving at them, the only thing stopping him from yelling being Ussop, who was standing in his own chair covering Luffy's mouth.

Vivi laughed and ran over to them, but Zoro hung back, walking at his own pace. When he did get to their table, Luffy was already talking to him and Sanji and Ussop were laughing about something behind their hands. Nami waved at Zoro to sit between her and Luffy and he shrugged before taking the seat.

"Ne, ne, guys! Zoro's _fashionably_ late~!" Ussop said, cracking up like it was the funniest thing in the world. Luffy laughed with him, and the others just chuckled. Zoro, however, was not amused.

"What the hell is that about? You a girl or something, long nose?" Zoro retorted.

"I can't believe he said that!" Ussop mumbled, suddenly acting dejected. Luffy patted Ussop on the back consolingly, even though he was still laughing.

Sanji patted Ussop's back, too, even though he was saying, "Well, you do have long hair, and your nose is long... But, it was still funny. Uh, your joke, I mean."

"Don't flatter him, dart-brow, he'll just tell another one," Zoro grumbled, digging in his bag and pulling out a bento. Sanji leaned over and whispered something to Vivi, who whispered to Nami, who kicked Zoro in the knee under the table. "Ow! What was that for?!" Zoro asked, rubbing his knee.

Nami shrugged, smirking. "Saa... Maybe I just don't like you?" *

"Hey! You guys have to get along!" Luffy whined, putting down his lunch for a second and a half. "We're Nakama, remember?"

"Nakama fight," Sanji said, munching on an apple slice. "It's just what happens. If you're around the same people all the time, you'll get annoyed with them and at the same time, you'll be used to them," he finished, shrugging.

The others looked at him strangely. "Wow, Sanji. That was deep," Ussop said, blinking.

"Yeah," Luffy agreed, stealing some of Ussop's food while the long nose was still looking at Sanji. "That was really deep!"

Vivi nodded along with them. "Yes. How did you think of something like that, Sanji-kun?"

Sanji smiled at her. "I heard it somewhere, I think. A really smart person made that up, if I remember right. It makes sense to me," Sanji said, and the girls smiled at him while Ussop and Luffy moved on to something else.

Zoro, for the most part, did not participate in conversation, but he was definitely a lot better off than he had been before sitting down with his friends. He no longer fumed about annoying classmates and rude teachers; he just sat and listened to the white noise around him as he ate his lunch.

Suddenly, Ussop shouted, "Oh! I forgot! Did we tell you guys, Vivi, Zoro?"

"About what?" Zoro and Vivi asked in unison.

Ussop waved at Sanji and Luffy. "You know, you know! About the Whale-sensei!"

Luffy had a blank look on his face, but Sanji made an O shape with his mouth. "No, I don't think we told them. They've only been here a few minutes, you know. Do you wanna tell it?" Sanji asked, but Ussop had already begun his dramatic tale of Alvida, the big and evil whale-woman who was almost as evil as the Great Ussop-sama was awesome. Obviously a glorified tale, but everyone let him tell it anyway.

"You guys really have a teacher like that?" Zoro asked, raising an eyebrow at Sanji, the sanest person at the table who had been in that class.

Sanji nodded. "Yeah. She hit Luffy with the blackboard eraser and yelled a lot. I think she's insane," Sanji said, biting down on another apple slice. "She even took some kid's lunch."

"Well, how else was she supposed to maintain whale status?" Ussop said sarcastically.

"You know, I think that kind of thing... it's illegal for a teacher to hit a student, especially for no reason," Vivi chimed in. The others looked at her and she blushed. "Er, I heard from my father once... for a, uh, teacher to be doing such things... she could get her teaching license revoked."

"Eh? What does that mean?" Luffy asked, tilting his head to the side.

"That means she could get fired," Nami explained matter-of-factly. "If she's really as bad as you say, you three should tell somebody about it and maybe they'd fire her. The principal could do that, right, Vivi?"

The blue haired girl's eyebrows rose. "You're asking me?" She looked around at everyone at the table. "W-why do you even want to get someone fired? Won't that hurt her feelings?"

"Vivi-chan, she's not a nice person," Sanji said, shaking his head. "I don't think anybody would mind very much if she were no longer allowed to teach."

"So, you guys are gonna rat out some teacher lady?" Zoro asked bluntly.

"Why are you asking? Haven't you been listening this whole time?"

"Yeah," Zoro said, narrowing his eyes. "But, what I mean is, there's better ways to get someone fired."

Everyone looked at Zoro expectantly, confusedly. Zoro noticed none of them really looked like they expected him to say anything good, though Luffy, as always, was hanging on his every word. "If you ask me," Zoro started, pausing for effect. "Ratting someone out is the easy way to do it. It's cowardly."

Nami looked like the wheels were turning in her head, while the others frowned or looked confused. "I see..." Nami mumbled, tapping a finger to her lips. A moment later, Sanji and Vivi seemed to be catching on.

"In my opinion," Zoro continued. "You could do so much more without being conceived as a snitch, and it would be much more fun."

"Oh, I get it!" Ussop gasped, eyebrows shooting up.

Luffy, however, still looked confused. "What? I don't understand. Are you guys saying we shouldn't get Whale-sensei fired?"

Sanji rolled his eyes. "No, Luffy, that's not it." Sanji paused, a grin spreading across his face. "He's saying we should make her quit."

*** Saa - Now, who knows. (That's how I've seen it translated before.)**

**That was a hard one to write until about halfway through... I know, I know, chronological order to the wind, but I'd just re-watched the first episode of One Piece and I felt like it, so...**

**Well, who else is excited to see what happens next? xD I know I am!**


	27. Prank

"This is such an awesome idea!" Luffy repeated for the seventeenth time to Zoro's recollection while they waited behind the wall. Behind him, Ussop shuddered.

"This is such a horrible idea..." Ussop whined, covering his head with his hands as Zoro threatened to hit him again, like every other time he had voiced his opinion since they left the lunch room. What the others didn't understand was why Ussop chickened out in situations like that when he was a veritable prankster back at the orphanage.

Zoro peered around the corner and waved for Luffy to go check the other end of the hall. "Clear on this end," Zoro whispered, nodding. Luffy gave a thumbs up and a grin and the three boys were off to Alvida's classroom.

The teacher's desk was messy with scrambled paperwork and crumbs and a surprising number of push-pins. A high-back office chair was pushed almost all the way back to the blackboard and had had its arms bent outwards, the seat impressioned with a vague butt shape. Luffy pointed that out and covered his mouth to keep from laughing.

"Ussop, you keep watch. Tell us when the others are coming," Zoro ordered.

The long nose whined. "Aww, why do I always have to keep watch?"

"Because," Luffy responded, steering Ussop back to the doorway of the classroom and patting him on the back with no further explanation besides a grin.

Zoro opened Alvida's desk drawers and searched through the very few belongings that were there. He pulled out what looked like a short metal bat with spikes on one end. "What the hell is this?!" he whispered incredulously, waving around the heavy metal object. Zoro was having a hard time figuring out how anyone could sneak a bludgeoning tool into the building and hide it in their desk.

Luffy and Ussop's jaws dropped at the object. "Is that a club?" Ussop questioned.

"Lemme try it!" Luffy reached out his hands for the club, but Zoro quickly put it away.

"No," Zoro said, looking at Luffy strictly. "If you get a hold of that thing, we'll be discovered tomorrow as puddles of blood."

Ussop shivered. "Oh, God, Zoro, that was so gross!" He scrunched up his nose and turned back to the doorway, keeping watch. A second later, he was waving and whispering. "Guys, hide, hide!"

Luffy and Zoro looked at him for a second before they reacted. Luffy tried to hide behind one of the student chairs, but Zoro pulled him over to the far side of the teacher's desk, where they would be completely invisible to anyone passing by. Ussop dove in beside them as footsteps echoed in the hall.

"Has this happened before? I feel like it has," Luffy mumbled, making his famous thinky face. Zoro and Ussop both covered Luffy's mouth, squishing his face in the process. The thudding footsteps were getting too close, they decided, for Luffy to be talking.

Zoro stopped breathing when the footsteps halted very close to the classroom they were hiding in. He couldn't hear anything and he was facing the wall, so he couldn't tell who it was or what they were doing. Ussop, however, was sitting across from him and Luffy with his back against the wall and the ability to see out the door. Ussop's eyes were wide open, jaw slack.

For the longest five seconds Zoro had ever been through, there was no other sound than his pounding heart. Who was out there? Were they going to find them? Could they get away? Was it a teacher? A student? The building was supposed to be empty. Except, of course, that they were still there, so why wouldn't anyone else be?

Luffy was starting to fidget and Zoro briefly considered sitting on him before the footsteps started again and slowly trailed off far enough that he could no longer hear them. Panting to reclaim the air he had refused to breathe, Zoro gasped, "Who the hell was that?"

Ussop's lips moved without sound and Luffy got bored of that quick. "Come on, Ussop, it can't be that bad!" Luffy coaxed, turning at the waist to look around the desk at the empty doorway. "Who was it? Was it Sanji? Or Vivi? Or Nami? Or-"

"No!" Ussop interrupted. "No, it was a teacher. Not one of our teachers, I don't think, but he looked scary!"

"Everyone looks scary to you, Ussop," Zoro said, rolling his eyes. Luffy laughed and agreed loudly.

"That's not true! I'm not scared of you guys, or of anybody! No one scares the Great Ussop! I only meant that to lesser beings he may have looked scary, but not to me!" Ussop ranted, waving his hands defensively.

"Geez, shut up," Nami was suddenly peering around the desk at them, frowning. "I could hear you halfway down the hall, you know." She looked pointedly at Ussop for a moment before looking to Zoro and Luffy. "So, what havoc have you wreaked so far?"

"She's got a club, Nami! Zoro, I'm gonna show her!"

"Luffy," Zoro said, exasperated already. "Nami can just take our word for it. Don't touch that damn thing."

"Hey, Nami, were'd Sanji and Vivi go? Did they get the stuff we asked for?" Ussop asked, standing up and looking around.

The redhead glanced at him, shrugging. "They'll be here," she said, not-so-reassuringly. "In the mean time, we've got to do some work on this classroom. What would make Alvida want to quit, huh?"

Luffy, who was crouched under the teacher's desk, started to giggle mischievously. The others gravitated towards him, paranoid about what he may be doing. He'd been silent for all of five seconds, so something bad must be happening.

"The wheels come off," Luffy explained, twisting one of the wheels off Alvida's chair. The other three shared a look of shock for a moment before they started to laugh too.

Ussop knelt to start taking wheels off as well, but Nami stopped him. "Get the one diagonal from the one Luffy's got, and only that one," she ordered, pointing at the one she meant. "That way the chair will wobble all over the place. Understand?"

"Ooooooh, I get it! That's so evil, Nami!" Ussop snickered as he moved to unscrew the wheel he was directed to. Luffy agreed by laughing and even Zoro had to smirk. Nami really had a knack for devious, evil pranks.

After they unscrewed two of the four wheels from the chair and hid them in random desks, Nami instructed them to pull out all the drawers from the teacher's desk and put them in upside-down. The contents of the drawers, including a stack of tests, the bludgeon and a hefty boxed lunch, were to be hidden in various storage closets on the second floor of the school building, Nami decided.

They were just about to leave the classroom and hide Alvida's things when Vivi and Sanji appeared in the doorway. "Wasn't someone supposed to be keeping watch?" Vivi asked, setting a bucket down below the blackboard. "It's dangerous if you don't have someone to tell you when somebody's coming."

"Ne, guys, look at what we did! There's only two wheels on the chair!" Luffy pointed, bouncing excitedly around Sanji and Vivi and alternately talking and giggling.

"And all the drawers are upside down! That was my idea," Ussop said proudly, joining Luffy in his excitement and ushering Vivi and Sanji over to look at their handiwork.

Nami scoffed impatiently. "Oh, come on. I can't hide all this stuff by myself." She gestured towards the pile of Alvida's things in the floor.

"Whoa, is that a club?" Sanji asked, gawking at the shiny metal object. Luffy, Zoro, Ussop and Nami all answered positively and Sanji just shook his head. "This woman really is a psycho... I wonder how she got that in the building?"

Vivi shivered. "Let's just get rid of it, okay, Nami?"

The redhead shrugged. "Okay with me. Vivi-chan and I are going to hide this stuff, then," Nami said, picking up the club and hoisting it up so that the spiked end was behind her and the middle of the club rested on her shoulder. "Sanji-kun, I expect you to keep these idiots out of trouble."

"_HEY!"_

"Yes, Nami-san!" Sanji laughed as Nami left the classroom, followed by a flustered Vivi, who was carrying the stack of tests and the bento from Alvida's desk. *

Luffy, immediately dismissing Nami's insult, asked, "What's in the buckets?" He gestured to the bucket Vivi had put down by the blackboard and the one in Sanji's arms.

The blond looked down into the bucket his arms and a slow grin came over him. Without a word, he walked over to the teacher's desk and put the bucket on top of it. "Why don't you come and see?" Sanji suggested, grinning wider.

The boys all gathered around the bucket on the desk and peered inside. "Is that...?" Zoro trailed off.

"Yep," Sanji said, nodding once. "Lots and lots of Wite-Out."

"Why did you get that?" Luffy asked, suddenly bored with the bucket full of small bottles of Wite-Out.

Sanji shrugged. "Only for the obvious reasons," he said with a smirk. "Vivi-chan and I were in and out of every storage closet on this floor, talking about what could be really good materials for driving someone insane." He shrugged again. "And I picked Wite-Out and Super Glue."

"Glue is good, yeah, but what can Wite-Out do?" Luffy asked and Ussop nodded, backing him up.

Sanji just rolled his eyes at them. He grabbed two bottles of Wite-Out and walked around to the blackboard. "All the paint in every classroom is watercolor and really washable, but this," Sanji raised the bottles up a little bit. "This stains. Badly." He took the cap off one of the bottles and used the little applicator to slowly but surely write "Miss Whale-sensei" on the blackboard. Luffy and Ussop, by that point, were rolling on the floor laughing. **

Zoro picked up a bottle of Wite-Out and uncapped it as he said, "Not a bad idea for a stupid dart-brow." He then began to write "Blubber" across the front of the teacher's desk.

"Hey!" Sanji waved the Wite-Out applicator in Zoro's general direction, trying to be intimidating. "Don't call me that, Moss ball."

Luffy and Ussop got to work scribbling things into the rough tile floor with bottles upon bottles of correction fluid. Ussop painted cracks on the olive-green floor, starting from the doorway and Luffy nearly fell onto his own piece of work laughing at it.

"This is seeming very familiar..." Sanji mumbled to himself as he poured a whole bottle of Wite-Out on an in-progress page of notes on something or other that had Alvida's name written at the top. When he finished with that, he went back to his bucket and grabbed a handful of small bottles of Super Glue. "Hey, Ussop, where's your bag?" Sanji asked.

The long nose looked up and pointed to the wall opposite the door before he thought to ask, "Wait, why?"

"I'm giving you control of the arsenal for which I have a plan," Sanji said dramatically, shoving four or five bottles of Super Glue into Ussop's already over-stuffed bag. He turned to see their expectant faces. "Tomorrow. I'll tell you tomorrow."

Zoro scoffed. "Meaning, you don't have a plan?"

"I do," Sanji said patiently. "But, if I tell you all now, you'll be more likely to spill the beans before the plan can go into action during school tomorrow. I'd really rather you all not be nervous when the time comes," he said with a shrug.

"Come ooooon, _Sanjiiii!_" Luffy whined, standing up and walking over to Sanji with a pout on his face. "You can't keep secrets from your captain!"

"Yeah! You can't keep secrets from your, uh... Sniper, either!" Ussop said, standing up and joining Luffy in pouting at Sanji.

"Sniper?" Sanji questioned, raising an eyebrow. But, before Ussop could even start on a rant, Sanji shook his head. "Never mind. Don't explain yourself, just... I'll tell you guys tomorrow, alright? It's decided. Tomorrow, stuff will happen."

oOo

During their first class of the day, Luffy, Ussop, Sanji, Nami, Vivi and Zoro all heard the enraged shouts of a whale-woman beholding her classroom first thing in the morning. It took all their control not to bust out laughing. Though Sanji, Ussop and Luffy knew they'd have her class next, and they'd have to deal with her boiling mood, they still couldn't help but to be amused by their actions the day before.

As soon as their respective first classes ended, though, that's when the plan really started. Ussop was waiting outside the classroom when Sanji got there, just so he could tell him how nervous he was. "Luffy's already in there, recruiting Coby to help us!" Ussop announced.

"Who's Coby?" Sanji asked as they entered and took their seats in the front row this time. Before Ussop could answer, Luffy came over to them with a pink-haired boy wearing glasses right behind him.

"Ussop, Sanji, this is Coby! He's our friend now. Coby, Ussop's the one with the long nose and Sanji's the one with the funny eyebrow," Luffy introduced, pointing to each person when he said their name. When he finished his introductions, he grinned. "There! Now, we all know each other and we can all defeat Alvida together!"

"D-d-d-defeat her?! Is that what you want my help with?" Coby stuttered. "No! No way! She's too scary! I heard yesterday that she eats anyone who doesn't obey her!"

"Wow, really?!"

"Obviously not, Luffy!" Sanji scolded, flicking Luffy's nose. "No school would hire a cannibal! Besides, she'll quit before she gets a chance to do anything else to anyone!" Sanji crossed his arms over his chest, more than a bit offended that Luffy seemed to doubt his plan.

"Y-y-y-y-yeah! Sh-sh-she's no match for the G-g-g-great Captain U-Ussop!" Ussop shouted almost as loud as his knees clacked together. Sanji shook his head and Luffy just laughed at him.

"Hey!" Coby shouted suddenly. "This is serious! She could hurt you! You know, don't you Luffy-san? She hit you yesterday! On the head! And, I even heard that she has a super-powerful weapon that she uses on her students! You could really get hurt if you mess with her!"

Luffy looked at him, less than amused. "So, you're on her side, then?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at Coby.

"No, of course not! I detest her kind of behavior!"

The other kids in the classroom watched with varying levels of interest as Luffy and Coby had something of a staring match. "Then, you'll help me get rid of her?" Luffy asked in a very serious tone. Sanji and Ussop shared a look briefly before both of them looked to Coby.

His bottom lip was quivering and he looked like he might cry, but Coby said, "Okay, fine! I'll help you. Just this once."

Quicker than a flash, Luffy's grin was back. "Good" was all he could say before the bell shrieked and they heard the tell-tale thudding down the hall. Everyone scrambled to their seats except Luffy and Sanji, who both took a moment to admire the badly-smudged versions of their graffiti from the day before as they took their seats.

"Who is the most beautiful teacher in the world?!" Alvida bellowed, stomping into the room with a scowling, flushed face.

"You are, Miss Alvida!" the class chorused, though three voices in there were sarcastic.

"Good! Now that we got that straight," Alvida growled, glaring daggers at each and every student in the room. "Which one of you lowly, despicable creatures did this to my classroom?!"

Exactly according to plan, Luffy stood up. "I did! It was me!" he volunteered proudly, waving his hands in the air. Everyone in the classroom who wasn't in on it gasped and paled and maybe would have laughed if it weren't for Alvida's death glare aimed at Luffy sending out sparks.

"What... you... " Alvida's face became redder, veins standing out in her forehead and neck. She was straining just to find the words to express her fury, sweating from the exertion. "YOU RUDE, AWFUL BASTARD CHILD!" Alvida screamed, banging her fists down on her desk so hard the wood crunched. Faster than anyone her size should ever move, Alvida ran over to Luffy's desk and snatched him off the ground by the front of his shirt. "YOU'LL BE EXPELLED, YOU LITTLE MAGGOT!"

Luffy laughed, long and loud at Alvida. "Yeah? Awesome! I don't like school anyway!" Luffy said jovially.

Alvida sounded like she was choking on her own tongue. "Puh-ko-you... You little-! I will make your life hell! I'll make it worse than hell! I'll make you wish I was never born!" she spat.

"I already wish that!" Luffy said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

The most awful sound Sanji had ever heard from a woman came out of Alvida's gaping mouth as she dragged Luffy out into the hall. She shouted at him so loud that there probably wasn't a single person in the whole building who couldn't hear her. Sanji looked to Ussop and, though reluctantly, Ussop nodded. Plan, initiate.

While Alvida was distracted, Sanji and Ussop got out of their seats, leaving it to Coby to keep the other students quiet. They pulled out and uncapped four bottles of Super Glue before they heard Alvida take a single breath in her rant. She started shouting again before anyone had time to notice the ringing in their ears and Sanji and Ussop started pouring the Super Glue into her chair.

Casting nervous glances to the doorway, Ussop and Sanji sighed when Alvida started to tromp down the hall in her hissy fit. Sanji grabbed a ruler off Alvida's desk, though why she would have a ruler, he didn't know, and used it to spread the glue around the whole surface of the seat.

"She's coming back! Get in your seats, guys!" Coby whispered hoarsely, waving at them.

Sanji and Ussop scrambled to their seats just as Alvida came through the doorway, still huffing and puffing.

Luffy gave them a thumbs up from the doorway as Alvida sat down.

*** Bento - Boxed lunch. A hefty one. ;D**

**** Sensei - Teacher. Did that need explaining?**

**I'm thinking of doing a mid-week update/continuum of this chapter... Maybe I won't, but I'd like to think I would. Until such a time as that, I shall be writing in Attitude Match! to finish up this next chapter. ^-^ Keep your eyes open!**

**Oh, one more thing: GLUEBUTT!**


	28. Quick work

**Well, not exactly the mid-week update I thought I'd have, but it only took me three days for this, so I'd say that's pretty damn good. You better enjoy it!**

How she didn't feel it, no one would ever know. But, every child in that room would swear that there was a distinct "gloop" sound as Alvida sat down. Unable to help themselves, the classroom filled with quiet chatter and silent giggles. Coby, however, was scared stiff. Ussop kept looking back at Coby and telling him it was fine, and Luffy kept grinning at him from the doorway, but the pink-haired boy was persistently terrified.

Alvida opened all her up-turned drawers, only to slam them back shut. "You!" She pointed a fat finger at Luffy, whose head was poking into the classroom. "You wretched boy, where did you put those tests?!"

Luffy pointed to his own nose. "Me? I don't know," he said, innocent as he ever was.

Making a sound like a growl, Alvida shakily swiveled her chair to face Luffy. "You were the one who completely vandalized my classroom, weren't you?! Go find the goddamn tests! NOW!" she ordered, gesturing wildly to everything and nothing.

Luffy looked like he was going to say something for a second, before a wide grin broke out across his face. "Okay! This should be easy!" he said, humming an indistinct tune as he started merrily down the hall and out of sight. Ussop and Sanji exchanged a look, wherein they asked each other, "Didn't Vivi hide the tests?"

Not a moment later, they were stuck between laughing and announcing that they helped vandalize the classroom so they would be sent on the pointless hunt as well, resulting in them skipping classes. In the end, they decided being screamed at by a whale-lady wasn't really worth it.

oOo

When the bell shrieked signaling the end of a class that accomplished nothing, all the children stood up and piled out before Alvida even had a chance to yell at them about it. They wanted to be out of there when the flood gates opened. Sanji kind of wanted to see her face when she realized her butt was stuck to the chair, but not if that meant being within a mile of the raging bull-woman.

"Hurry, hurry! We have to go find Luf-"

Ussop was cut off by Nami, who appeared out of the crowd right in front of them. "Guys! How was it? Was she terrible? Was she ticked? Did she quit yet? Details, boys, details!"

"Uh, no, she didn't quit. But she's angry as hell!" Ussop told her.

Sanji half-heartedly stomped on Ussop's foot. "Don't cuss in front of a lady," Sanji said smoothly.

"Ouch! Oh, please, she's only nine, she's hardly a- OW! Stop doing that, Sanji!"

"It was me that time."

"Oh, okay. Stop doing that, Nami!"

Nami and Sanji rolled their eyes at their over-dramatic friend. "Whatever. You deserved it," Nami said. "Anyway, I came over to you guys to ask if she knows about the club yet."

"What about it?" Sanji asked, confused. Nami had hidden it yesterday and she hadn't told them where it ended up, so he supposed he wouldn't know even if Alvida did know the whereabouts of her club. He didn't even know if that was what Nami meant.

The redhead grinned slyly. "Well, it's just a fall-back," she said, smirking wider. "In case your oh-so-brilliant vandalism plan backfires. It's insurance."

"What are you talking about, Nami?" Ussop asked, one eyebrow raised.

"Oh, you should know by the end of the day," Nami said, chuckling in the most sinister manner possible for a nine-year-old girl. "If it hasn't been discovered by then, I'll have to take matters into my own hands."

"Isn't that what you've already done...?" Ussop asked, getting more confused.

Sanji stepped in. "Hey, don't question her, long nose. Nami knows what she's doing, and we could use her help. Especially since it seems Zoro's plan is just serving to make Alvida mad." Sanji nodded in agreement with his own observations.

"Exactly! Thank you, Sanji-kun." Nami nodded at Sanji once and waved at the two of them as she departed to her next class. "I'll have no more complaining from you, Ussop!" she called over her shoulder as she went.

After a minute's hesitation, Ussop said, "We should go find Luffy."

"Nah," Sanji said, shrugging. "Let him enjoy his day off."

oOo

"Mahh... which way is the cafeteria?" Luffy asked himself as he looked down each of the three possible paths from his standpoint. He didn't know how long it'd been since he'd left class under Alvida's request to find the tests, but he'd heard the bell ring at least three times. It must be lunch time by now, he figured.

Luffy randomly selected the middle path and began to whistle in the empty hallway, his song and his footsteps echoing loudly. He couldn't decide whether he should go find his friends first, or just wait for them in the lunch room. He was hungry, yes, but he also wanted to hang out with his friends. That was a tough choice.

"Ah, well, I'll just see which I find first!" Luffy decided aloud, grinning and walking just a bit faster. He'd only gotten a few paces further when a head peeked out of one of the sliding doors that Luffy had always considered mysteries, since he didn't know what was behind them.

"You! Aren't you supposed to be in class, young man?" the stranger asked, opening the doors a bit more so that he had a body to go with his head. Luffy barely paid any attention to him, but the man's question gave him pause.

"Hmm... Nope," Luffy said, nodding resolutely.

"Yes you are! Otherwise, why would you be in this building?"

Luffy considered that for a second. He had no idea why he would ever come to school. In fact, why had he been going to school up to that point? "I don't know," he replied.

The man sighed exasperatedly. "What's your name, kid?"

"Monkey D. Luffy," he introduced proudly.

"I see. Whose class do you have next? Or, do you know?" The man sure was asking a lot of questions. Luffy was getting impatient, and so was his stomach.

"Mm... I don't know whose class I have next, 'cause I don't know what time it is. But, I just had Whale-sensei's class a little while ago."

The man gave a blank look. "We don't employ a... Whale... sensei..."

"Oh, well, that's 'cause her name is something with an 'A'... Aluminum? Uhh... Alfred? I don't know. Something like that," Luffy offered cheerfully.

"Oh, I see. Could it be, Alvida-san?"

"That doesn't sound very familiar... But, okay." Luffy looked around the silent hall, starting to fidget and mess with random things.

"So, you have a class with Alvida-san?"

"I don't know. But, I was in a class with this big, fat, man-lady teacher who hit me with the chalkboard eraser! And, she yells at us and tells us to call her beautiful, and eats people's lunches! She's not a nice person. So, Whale-sensei," Luffy explained, adding extra emphasis on "eats people's lunches."

The man looked stunned. He stood aside in the doorway and waved Luffy in. "Could you tell me something, uh, Luffy?" Luffy nodded. "Does this belong to your teacher?" The man held up the bludgeon that Luffy remembered from the day before and looked at him questioningly.

Luffy beamed. "Yeah! It was in her desk and one of my friends said she's killed people with it before! Can I hold it?"

"No. Thank you for your help, young man. You may go now." The man ushered Luffy back out of the room and noisily slid the door shut. Luffy could hear him whispering to the other people in the room but he didn't pay much attention.

"Strange ossan,"* Luffy mumbled, starting again on his way towards lunch.

Everything was so peacefully quiet inside the building, he could hear birds chirping outside. It was a good day, he decided. A lot of days were good days, but that day was a special good day, because he and his friends got to do something really awesome. He even got to have the starring role, according to Nami. But, he didn't know what that meant, so he was just going with it until he figured it out.

A shrill, awful echo of a scream filled the halls and Luffy looked over his shoulder. That sounded like someone who'd just discovered they were glued to their seat, if he had to wager a guess.

oOo

When Luffy finally got to the lunch room, not long after he heard the bell ring another time, all his friends were sitting at a table, talking animatedly amongst themselves. He hurried through getting his lunch and practically ran to their table. "Where've you all been? I've been looking for you guys this whole time," Luffy said, sounding less than worried as he eyeballed everyone's food.

"Luffy, what did you do?" Ussop asked, pushing his food towards Luffy in a sharing gesture.

Luffy happily accepted. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Nami rolled her eyes. "What he means is, in the hall on the way to lunch we saw Alvida-"

"There was a chair stuck to her backside..." Vivi added helpfully and giggles broke out around the table.

"Yes, that was funny." Nami continued, "In any case, we saw her waddling through the hall, red in the face and grumbling about something when one of the other teachers came and got her, told her something real quiet, and she started screaming about being fired for no reason."

"Oh, she was fired? That's good." Luffy stuffed his mouth full of food.

"But, how did you do it?" Sanji asked.

Luffy shrugged, shaking his head. "I didn't do anything. I was just looking for food. Oh, and you guys, too."

"No, that's not true," Zoro said, looking dead at Luffy. "I passed by the room that they were talking in on my way here-"

"While you were lost," Sanji interjected, grinning when Zoro glared at him.

"Anyway," Zoro said, turning back to Luffy. "I was just telling everyone that I heard the man who came to get Alvida say that one _Monkey D. Luffy_ told him she abused her students and kept a weapon in her desk, against school rules and island law."

"Only three days as a teacher," Vivi mused aloud, picking at her food. "You all are very good at whatever you set your minds to, huh?"

"And don't you forget it!" Ussop said, suddenly launching into an exaggerated tale of his brilliance and skill in the matter of "booty-trapping" Alvida's chair.

*** Ossan - Man, guy. Typically disrespectful and used for strangers.**

**I don't really have much to say... Kind of failed on that "mid-week" update I had promised. xD Oh, well. Ah! One thing for sure I should mention, the dude that Luffy was talking to? he has absolutely no importance. Merely a prop to get the job done, since I couldn't think of anyone suitable for his role.**

**Who will the replacement substitute teacher be, I wonder?**


	29. Clean

**I hope you came mentally prepared...**

"... And they're still thanking me! I don't even know what I did, but everyone wants to be my friend now," Luffy said, nodding. He wasn't really complaining, but it sounded like he was for all the carrying on he did. Zoro just rolled his eyes.

"What about me? I helped! It was my devious plan, you know!" Ussop shouted, swinging even higher as he talked to Luffy. "They should be thanking me for our free periods these past few days!"

"Shut up, long nose," Zoro groaned, slowing his own swing down. The orphanage play ground was relatively empty, considering it was still daylight out, so something must be going on elsewhere. "Hey, do you two know what's going on inside?" Zoro asked.

"Nah. Nami told me it was something, but I wasn't really listening," Luffy replied, kicking his feet rapidly in an attempt to get his swing to go faster but only succeeding in setting himself off balance.

"Of course you weren't." Zoro rolled his eyes. Then, he looked to Ussop. "What about you? Do you know what's going on?"

"Not a clue," Ussop answered, swinging so high he almost fell off his seat backwards.

Zoro hopped off his swing and landed neatly on his feet. "I'm gonna go check it out. Wanna come with?"

"Okay!" Luffy hopped out of his swing and started towards the orphanage, followed by Zoro, leaving Ussop all by himself on his high-flying swing.

Flailing limbs and a grassy thud was followed by, "Hey, wait for me!"

oOo

A steady stream of children were filing off the second floor and going up to the third or down to the first floor when Zoro, Luffy and Ussop got there. "What's up, guys? Did something happen?" Luffy was asking, but a familiar voice cut him off.

"There you guys are! I thought I told you to meet me at Sanji-kun's room?" Nami made her way down the stairs as if she were the only one on them.

"Did you?" Ussop asked, avoiding a group of chattering children.

Nami put her hands on her hips. "Yes, I did. Luffy, I told you to tell them." She turned an exasperated look to their straw hat-wearing friend.

Luffy shrugged. "I forgot," he said innocently.

"You- ugh." Nami facepalmed. "Okay. I'll only say it once more, so all of you listen up! The plumbing on the second floor basically blew up, or so I'm told, so we have to use the showers on either the first floor or the third floor." She looked between the three boys seriously. "And, I said that we should use the ones on the third floor, since that's where Sanji-kun is, and I don't know anyone on the first floor."

The boys exchanged looks. After a second, Luffy beamed. "Awesome! I was hoping to take a bath with Sanji!"

"L-Luffy! That's a weird thing to say!" Ussop stuttered, taking a step away from Luffy. "I'll be going with someone else!"

"What? It's not weird," Luffy said, frowning confusedly at Ussop. "He's our friend. And I've never even had a shower with him before, so that means we can't be nakama yet!"

"Where did you hear that?" Zoro asked incredulously.

"I forgot."

"Of course you did," Zoro said, rolling his eyes at Luffy for the second time in the same ten minutes. "Anyway, that's stupid. Nobody thinks that but you, Luffy."

"Doesn't matter! I want to have a shower with Sanji, and you're coming with me!" Luffy announced, grinning at Zoro.

Ussop squeaked. "Luffy, that makes it worse!"

oOo

"He'll be so surprised! I bet Sanji wants to take a bath with me, too!" Luffy chirped happily as they strolled down the hall, on their way to room 3-22. "I hope nobody else is going to shower with us. I don't like the dumbbells on this floor."

"I'm sure they say the same thing about you, Luffy," Zoro mumbled. He looked around at the doors lining the hall and wondered if he shouldn't move back in to Sanji's room. Compared to the second floor, the third floor seemed stark and uninhabited. _It must get lonely up here,_ he thought.

As they approached Sanji's room, they noticed the door was wide open, as it often was when Sanji's in his room and not sleeping. "Let's sneak up!" Luffy whispered loudly, putting a hand at the corner of his mouth and cupping it towards Zoro, while pointing to Sanji's doorway with the other. Luffy promptly began to tip-toe.

Zoro continued to walk normally, hands in his pockets as Luffy crept up to Sanji's open doorway and curled his fingers around the molding. "Hey guys," Sanji's voice greeted quietly from inside.

Luffy's shoulders slumped and he frowned as he moved to stand in the doorway. "How'd you know it was us?" he whined.

Walking into the room casually, Zoro greeted, "Hey, Dartbrow."

"What's up, Mosshead?" Sanji responded without looking up from his recipe book. "Why're you guys trying to sneak around up here? Don't you have homework, or... Well, it's probably almost dinner time, right?"

"What? I didn't know that!"

"Luffy, we came here for a reason."

"Oh, right. Don't distract me like that, Sanji!" Luffy recovered quickly from a drooling mess, back into his grinning self.

The blond looked on, amused. "So, what did you guys come here for?"

"I want to take a shower with you!" Luffy announced loudly, for all the neighbors to hear.

Sanji nearly choked on his gasp. "What?! Why?!" he squeaked, clapping his book closed less than gently.

Zoro raised an eyebrow at him. That was an awfully strange reaction, even for Sanji. "The bathrooms on the second floor are out of commission. Nami said so, anyway. So, we're all going to be borrowing your bathroom for now. Shitsurei shimasu."*

"And, I want to take a shower with Sanji. Geez, Zoro, get the details right," Luffy complained, walking over and patting Sanji on the back. "So we can be nakama, ya know?"

"No," Sanji said sternly. He was white as a sheet and his grip on the recipe book was bending it's hard cover. "No, I _don't_ know, and I don't want to take a shower with you. Either of you. You can take a shower with someone else, on some other floor even."

"Awww, why? I want to take a shower with _you_!" Luffy whined, pouting terrificly and giving Sanji puppy dog eyes that had a ninety-nine percent success rate with anyone and everyone.

"No."

"Hey, what crawled up your ass?" Zoro asked, crossing his arms and taking a step towards Sanji.

The blond looked at him with angry eyes. "Absolutely nothing, stupid seaweed! I'm just not going to take a bath with you guys and that's all there is to say about it. Go away!"

"I refuse," Zoro said, raising his chin and glaring down at Sanji.

"It's not bath time, yet, anyway," Luffy said, shrugging. "We'll be back up here after dinner and then we'll all take a shower together!"

oOo

Nami, Vivi and Ussop stared incredulously as Zoro and Luffy finished recounting their exchange with Sanji to them. "You're kidding? Why would he be so riled about that? You're all boys." Nami sounded like she was just thinking out loud.

"It sounds like something is bothering Sanji-kun," Vivi said, concerned.

"Speaking of Sanji, shouldn't he be here?" Ussop asked, looking around the dining room. Their table was Sanji-less and had been for the past twenty minutes. Sanji hadn't come down for dinner.

Luffy looked around, but Zoro didn't even bother. "He's pissed at me," Zoro said, as if that explained everything.

Nami rolled her eyes and slapped Zoro upside the head. "You idiot. He's eaten with us when he was mad at you before! What the hell did you do this time?"

"Guh- _I don't know_! I didn't do anything! He's just being a psycho again!" Zoro said loudly, drawing the attention of the surrounding tables.

"No, you did something. I'm sure of it," Nami said, giving Zoro a withering look.

"Yeah, he probably did. Did you insult his eyebrow?"

"Luffy, you were there!"

"Oh, right. But, did you?"

Zoro groaned loudly. "No! I didn't insult him! It wasn't me this time, I swear! If anything, it was something Luffy said!" Zoro defended himself, gesturing harshly to translate his shouts for the hard of hearing.

"N-now, now. Calm down, Zoro-san, it's alright. No one is blaming you-"

"I am," Nami volunteered, crossing her arms defiantly. Ussop and Vivi cowered between Luffy and Zoro, wishing Sanji was there to help clear up the situation.

"Nami-san," Vivi said meekly. "Please don't agitate Zoro-san further! H-how about we go talk to Sanji-kun ourselves? That would be good, right?"

Scoffing, Nami stood. "Come on, then," she said, walking with purpose out of the dining room with Vivi scrambling after her. Ussop and Luffy looked at each other, then at Zoro, who was glaring down at his food as he poked it with a fork.

oOo

"Open this door now!" Nami shouted, pounding on the door with a fist.

"N-Nami-san! What an indelicate approach!" Vivi gasped, standing half-hidden behind Nami, just in case Sanji got upset.

The door opened before Nami had a chance to knock again and Sanji stood in the doorway, smiling at the girls. "Is something the matter? Nami-chan, Vivi-chan?" he asked politely, standing aside so they could come in if they wanted.

"Chan?" Nami was momentarily derailed by that suffix. "You've always just called me Nami?"

"Oh, sorry. Too much?" Sanji grinned sheepishly.

Narrowing her eyes suspiciously as she passed into the room, Nami said, "No, it's fine. I'd prefer 'san,' though."

"Nami-san it is." Sanji nodded, still smiling as he halfway closed the door behind Vivi. Nami sat on the edge of his bed and Vivi sat on the floor when Sanji asked if they wanted to take a seat. "Now, not that I mind the visit, but... it's a little strange all of the sudden. Aren't you girls supposed to be at dinner?"

"Sanji-kun, too," Vivi managed to say before Nami started speaking.

"And, what about you? Why the hell aren't you downstairs having dinner with the rest of us, huh?" Nami asked, crossing her arms in a no-nonsense gesture.

"Nami-san..."

"Because, as I recall, you had lunch with us today at school and you were perfectly happy. This morning, too. So, what? Luffy and Zoro said you were acting weird when they came up here to talk to you. Tell me what's going on," Nami said sharply, not taking a single breath that Sanji could see.

Smiling apologetically, Sanji said, "There's nothing going on, Nami-san, I-"

"And, don't lie. I can tell." Nami frowned deeply at him until Sanji sighed.

"I'm not lying. Don't you believe me? Vivi-chan?"

Vivi hesitated, petting the air above her lap a bit. "Well... I'm sorry, Sanji-kun... I really don't. I'm sorry!"

Sighing again, Sanji sat down on the floor, a few feet away from Vivi. "It's okay, I don't blame you," he said kindly, waving his dismissal of her apologies. "But, really, nothing's going on. Luffy's an idiot, that's all."

"He told you he wanted to take a shower with you, huh?" Nami asked, still suspicious, but somewhat amused. Vivi turned pink at Nami's direct words.

"Uh-huh," Sanji said boredly. "Said it loud enough for the whole floor to hear and misunderstand. He's really a shameless kid."

Nami nodded slowly. "Okay. And, that's it? You're just staying up here because Luffy's as dumb as a sack of hammers?"

Vivi half laughed, half gasped. "N-Nami-chan! He's our friend! How could you say that?"

"Well, that and I'm not really hungry. Please enjoy your dinner without me," Sanji said apologetically.

oOo

"C'mon, Sanjiiiii~! It's bath time~!" Luffy called from several paces down the hall. Zoro was ahead by only a bit, determined to be the first to Sanji's door. He had to figure out what that kid's deal was before he had an aneurysm and Luffy was all pouty because Sanji wouldn't bathe with him.

"No."

"Whoa, did the door just talk?!" Luffy gawked, putting his hand on Sanji's door.

"That's just Sanji," Zoro said, knocking on the door with two knuckles. "Come on, dart board. We're going to the showers now."

"Go with Ussop."

"But, Ussop said 'no!'" Luffy whined, banging his forehead on the door. "I don't wanna bathe with strangers on the third floor..."

Zoro jiggled the knob and the door opened easily. He was surprised to find it wasn't locked. "You can't be a coward about being naked in front of- What the hell are you doing?"

Sanji was curled up in a ball on the top bunk, hiding under the covers. He burrowed his way to an opening and stared at Zoro and Luffy defiantly. "I can't take a bath with you guys! I don't want to!" he said, pouting slightly before ducking back under the covers. "And, it's not about being naked in front of you guys!"

"Then, why? Tell us!" Luffy goaded, hopping up onto the rail of the bottom bunk so he could see onto the top bunk.

"I don't want you to see me..."

"So, it is about being naked in front of us?" Zoro asked, confused.

"No," Sanji said, exasperatedly. "It's because I don't want to hear what you guys might say about-"

"About your butt?" Luffy offered.

"NO!" Sanji sat straight up in his bed, covers falling down around him. "About my scars, you idiot!"

Luffy looked back at Zoro, eyes widened in shock at Sanji's outburst. They just looked at each other for a moment before Luffy nodded, seemingly coming to a decision. "How about we don't say anything? I don't care. You've seen my scar," Luffy said, pointing to the small scar under his left eye. Zoro nodded in agreement.

"You're serious? Not a word?" Sanji asked. They shook their heads. "No gawking either?" Again, head shakes. "And, you won't tell the others about them behind my back?"

"Sanji," Zoro said in a warning tone of voice. Of course they wouldn't. They were much more honorable than that.

Hesitantly, Sanji nodded. "Okay. As long as you promi-"

"Sanjiiii! All the hot water's gonna be gone!" Luffy whined impatiently and Sanji sighed.

"Alright, gimme a minute." Sanji climbed down from his hiding place and went over to his bag. He grabbed a set of flannel blue-and-white checked pajamas from his bag and wandered out into the hall to get a towel from the linen closet a few doors down. He sighed once more and turned to his friends. "Promise?"

"Course!" Luffy said, grinning. Zoro smiled as well, nodding to him. They weren't going to judge, Sanji told himself. They never would have, even if he hadn't made them promise.

"The bathroom's this way," Sanji said, trying at a smile but making a slightly terrified expression. He led them past his room to the big grayish door and pushed it open for them.

"Ooooh~ your bathroom is even bigger than ours!" Luffy marveled, looking around like he'd never seen a public bathroom before. There were two parts to the bathroom and they had entered into the toilet part, the one with three stalls, three urinals and four sinks. The second part, the one with showers and tubs, was through a door on the back wall that was propped open to let the steam out.

Through the open doorway, there were three shower heads on the left wall and two large bathtubs on the right wall. In the back of the room was a metal cabinet where children put their clothes while they bathed. Luffy, Zoro and Sanji all put their pajamas and towels on one shelf in the cabinet.

Almost immediately, Luffy pulled off his t-shirt and slipped out of his shorts and laid dibs on the shower closest to the cabinet. "Luffy, you weren't wearing underwear? That's gross!" Sanji said, looking disgustedly at the shorts on the floor.

"It's just a hassle!" Luffy replied, turning the knob on the wall and shrieking when the water came out cold.

"Idiot," Zoro mumbled, pulling his own shirt off and dropping it on the ground by his feet. He looked at Sanji briefly before he stripped and went to the furthest shower from the cabinet.

_That leaves me with the middle_, Sanji thought, suddenly regretting having said okay to taking a shower with those two. He lost count of how many times he had sighed in the same two minutes as he pulled his turtleneck off. He knew he had scars on his back, too, so he held his breath, waiting to hear whatever they might say, just in case.

"Sanji, you're so white!" Luffy commented.

"Yeah. Do you ever go out in the sun?" Zoro asked with a snort.

Sanji was offended, but he still laughed. If that was all they noticed, then so damn be it. "I do _too_ go out in the sun! I just don't _vacation_ there like you guys!" Sanji said over his shoulder, folding his clothes neatly and putting them in the cabinet on a different shelf from the clean clothes. When he turned to go to his shower, the other two were staring at him. "D-don't do that! That's creepy!" Sanji said, covering himself with his hands as he went over to the showers and turned on the water for his.

They didn't stop staring at him, so Sanji hurried over to the door and closed it, hoping to fill the room with steam so they couldn't see him or his scars. Sanji tried to pretend that being scrutinized by his friends while he was completely naked didn't thoroughly disturb him, but that wasn't working out so well for him. "Would you please stop staring at me?!" he snapped, covering the bigger scars on his left hip and his right ribs.

"Mah... fights, right?" Luffy asked, directing the question at Zoro.

"Yeah. That's what I heard," Zoro answered, starting to wash his hair.

Sanji would have frowned, but he told himself that it was fine. Zoro had lied for him, so he wouldn't fuss. They weren't even directly talking about his scars, anyway, so he didn't have any reason to be upset.

Zoro and Luffy had a very vague conversation while Sanji bathed and it made him a little anxious. Luffy asking "fights, right?" was direct enough, but some things they were saying didn't make sense. It made Sanji think they had some sort of code and they were talking about things that they didn't want him to know about. _But, neither of them are really smart enough to come up with a code that they both could understand..._

Unconsciously, Sanji traced the scar on his ribs. He was thinking about things he'd heard Luffy and Zoro saying, trying to figure out what they meant. It just seemed like a bunch of odd comments and light questions. Were they really just making small talk?

"Does that hurt or something?"

Sanji had completely spaced, but he looked up when he heard that. Zoro and Luffy were both looking at him again. "Huh?"

"Th- your ribs," Zoro said, pointing in a very general manner. "You keep messing with i- them."

"Oh. No, not really. Just habit," Sanji answered, dropping his hands at his sides. "Shampoo, please."

"Here." Zoro handed it to him. "Help Luffy when you're done; he doesn't wash his hair."

"Aww, I don't want to!" Luffy whined, but Sanji washed his hair for him anyway. "Do your own hair first! Or, wash Zoro's hair! I don't wanna!"

"Too bad," Sanji laughed.

In no time, the boys finished their showers and got dried and dressed. While Luffy skipped off to go tell Ussop the showers were free, Zoro hung back to help Sanji with the dirty laundry. "It smells like he wore these all week," Sanji commented, holding Luffy's clothes at an arm's length.

"He does that sometimes." Zoro crinkled his nose. Glancing at Sanji out of the corner of his eye, Zoro asked, "It was really just a car accident?"

Sanji sighed. "Yes, it really was. You guys are pretty concerned about that, huh?"

"Yeah, believe it or not." Zoro rolled his eyes. "We're worried about our nakama; we must be damn crazy."

*** Shitsurei shimasu - Excuse me, pardon me, sorry for bothering you. Something like that. ^-^**

**Now, now, I hope you're not all perving out. The oldest of them is only 12 years old. xD But, seriously, if you read that scene as anything other than innocent, you were trying too hard.**

**Until next time~!**


	30. Conversation

**This chapter's got all the feels. Just sayin'. It's kinda packed. Enjoy~**

"Zoro! Where are you hiding on such a nice day?" Sanji called, peering into a room as he passed it. The others were off waiting for him at the park, but he told them he would find Zoro first, since they were getting along for the time being. So far, he hadn't been able to locate his green-haired friend.

The first window he came across, Sanji went to it and looked out at the front yard of the orphanage. Half the children were out playing in the yard, the other half were probably out somewhere having fun. He doubted anyone was still in the building. The first day of the year above sixty degrees and everyone was taking advantage of it except Sanji.

Cupping his hands around his mouth, Sanji took a deep breath and shouted, "Zoro! Where are you?"

"Geez, shut up already!"

Sanji looked around, eyebrows raised. That sounded like Zoro, but he couldn't see him. "Uh... Zoro?"

"What?"

Trying to follow the voice, Sanji took a step away from the window and looked to his left. There was a narrow hall there that let out into open hallways several times along the left side of the wall, but ultimately led to the laundry room. "Where are you?" Sanji asked again, walking into the narrow hall and looking through the first doorway. No moss.

"I'm in here."

Sanji rolled his eyes. "I can't see you, idiot. Where's 'here?'"

Zoro stepped out into the hall in front of Sanji, looking towards the laundry room door. "Who're you calling an idiot, curly brow?"

"You're looking in the wrong direction," Sanji said, tapping Zoro in the shoulder. When Zoro looked at him, Sanji laughed. "You're really a directionless little plant, aren't you?" he teased, lifting his hand from Zoro's shoulder and holding it still in mid-air before dropping his arm at his side.

Raising an eyebrow at the other, Zoro asked, "Why were you looking for me anyway? Shouldn't you be, I don't know, helping in the kitchen or something?"

"Nope." Sanji shook his head. "I wouldn't be there even if they let me in. The others all went to the park and I was gonna go join them, but I thought you'd want to come, too."

Zoro brightened, grinning slightly. "Sounds good. Which park?"

"Wh- The park! The park that we can walk to from here. The one we go to every time we go to any park," Sanji answered, gesturing pointlessly behind himself. "Now, come on. I'll lead the way, since you obviously can't."

"O-obviously? What is that supposed to mean?" Zoro asked, offended. Sanji just laughed and started walking away. "I'm serious! I'm not that bad, it's everyone else that keeps getting lost!"

Sanji laughed, grabbing Zoro's shirt sleeve and pulling him in the right direction. "You just keep telling yourself that, okay, mosshead?" he said, laughing. Zoro still fumed, but he followed without question. He could lead Sanji back the right way if he got lost.

In echoing silence, the two boys left out the front door of the orphanage, seeing only a single maid and the man at the reception desk in the building. Once outside, Sanji glanced back at the orphanage as he whispered, "It's kinda creepy in there, today."

"Che. You scared?" Zoro raised an eyebrow at the blond, looking like he was about to laugh.

Sanji frowned. "No. I said it's creepy, not that I was scared by it. Don't you think it's weird that no one's in there?"

Zoro shrugged. "Whatever. That's their business."

"But- Ugh," Sanji groaned, wiping his face with one hand. "Never mind. It could just be that they're busy, or out enjoying the weather." Sanji rolled his eyes as he spoke. It was ridiculous to him that Zoro wasn't the least bit worried. But, the orphanage staff had disappeared before and everything had been fine, so Sanji would be patient with his idiotic friend.

The trip to the park was made in full sun with copious amounts of people crowding the sidewalks and picnicking in the grass. Very few cars were on the roads, with the exception of ice cream and snow cone trucks. Sanji pointed out multiple things as they walked, including shapes in the clouds and two squirrels that looked like they were having a conversation. Zoro just listened.

Children ran around freely, adults off laughing somewhere in the shade. A young girl tried to convince Zoro and Sanji to come play with her and her friends, but they refused her as politely as possible, even if Sanji had to be the one doing the refusing because Zoro was too annoyed. "She's just a kid, ya know," Sanji had said. But, Zoro had no patience for small children and he said as much.

"Still, you could be nicer. Just say 'no, thank you,' and if that doesn't work, I'll talk to them. Okay?" Sanji offered, raising his eyebrows at Zoro.

"You don't have to be nice to them because we don't know them. We'll probably never run into the little girl again, so what's wrong with being straightforward?" Zoro asked, boredly. Sanji was shaking his head, but Zoro didn't understand why. "It doesn't matter, anyway. The others are waiting for us."

Sanji rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay. You should learn to be more chivalrous."

"What does that even mean?" Zoro asked, questioning whether or not "chivalrous" was an actual word.

The younger boy shook his head again. "Chivalrous means courteous, considerate, gentlemanly. None of which you are, not even concerning women."

"Pssh, and you are?" Zoro scoffed.

Sanji looked at him seriously. "Do you honestly see no difference between you and me? I'm way more chivalrous than you!" he said, patting Zoro on the arm consolingly.

"Shut up! You're just a suck-up, not chivalrous! And, who the hell even cares?" Zoro yelled, moving away from Sanji's hand.

"I care! It's important, and people like a man with chivalry!" Sanji argued, shoving his hands in his pockets as he frowned at Zoro.

Zoro laughed out loud, leaning his head back and pointing at Sanji. "You're not a man! And, it's not that important, since no one on the planet is chivalrous!"

"I know I'm not a man, but my mom said it's important to learn how to be a good man one day! And, good men have chivalry," Sanji said, nodding his head once.

Pausing mid-step, Zoro let out a colorful stream of words that were far beyond the depth of a twelve-year-old. "How do you win arguments like that, stupid curly brow? That's not fair," Zoro grumbled, hanging his head slightly.

Sanji grinned. "I know," he said. "But, I'm being honest, so that makes up for it."

"No, it doesn't," Zoro mumbled, walking closer to Sanji. "I didn't mean to make fun of that..."

"It's okay, I don't mind." Sanji leaned forward so he could see Zoro's face. "See? This is a happy face," he said, pointing to the up-turned corners of his mouth. "Nothing to worry about."

Zoro still looked wary, but he didn't try to apologize again. "So, are we almost there?" he asked, gesturing with a nod to the road ahead.

Sanji glanced at the path briefly before turning his eyes back to Zoro. "Yup. Not much longer. Geez, I was the one gone for nearly two years, but I remember the way better than you do."

"Shut up, idiot. We didn't exactly frequent that place while you were gone!"

Blue eyes met the ground. "Sorry," Sanji mumbled.

Zoro looked at him and he couldn't even think what to say for a minute. It wasn't Sanji's fault and he knew it, but he couldn't think of how to respond. "I- You know I didn't mean it like that! And, hell, it was probably my fault in the first place, so don't apologize!"

"I know that, but... I still could've left on better terms with everyone," Sanji said, kicking a rock with the toe of his shoe. "That's what I'm sorry about."

"Don't be sorry! It was our damn fault, so cut it out!" Zoro shouted, borderline pleading.

Sanji looked at Zoro and smiled. "Okay. Subject dropped. What would you rather discuss?" Sanji asked, standing up straighter and taking a deep breath.

"The weather," Zoro answered flatly. "Something that won't make this into a gooey emotional conversation." The blond gave him a disbelieving look, but Zoro was completely serious.

"Okay," Sanji said, eyes wandering as he thought. "I can't figure out for the life of me how you're so damn tan when we spend equal amounts of time outside. That's related to the weather, right?"

Zoro had no clue how to respond to that. "I dunno... Maybe it's part of the weather. I guess that's a valid question," he mumbled, staring off and trying to think of an answer. "Maybe because you don't walk around shirtless like I do?"

"Maybe. I think the sun just likes you more."

"Well, I don't know. It could be because my parents were dark-skinned, but how the hell should I know that? Maybe your parents were just super-pale, I don't know." Zoro paused. "Oh, damn."

"It's fine! Like I said before, I'm o-kay!" Sanji said, waving his hands in defense. "Just the mention of parents isn't gonna make me start sobbing, you know. And, yes, my mother was pale like me. I remember that."

Zoro got an odd look on his face as they crossed the street, moments away from the park. He started to say something and stopped himself before the words came out several times. Finally, he asked, "Can I tell you something?"

"Sure," Sanji said slowly, eyeing Zoro like he might suddenly start dancing the macarena. "Go ahead. If you want me to keep it a secret, I will."

Nodding, Zoro looked down. "Okay. I don't remember my parents. At all. Not even a little bit." He paused to look at Sanji. Zoro made an especially serious face. "And, you better not tell this to anyone, because it'll ruin my 'don't give a damn' appearance! If you tell anyone, I will slice you in half."

Sanji snorted. "I promise. Now tell me, before I die of anxiety."

"I don't remember them," he paused to take a breath, "but, I wish I did. I wish I knew what they were like, and if I favor my mother's side, or my father's. I wish I knew if I had siblings or cousins or anybody else in the world. It's not a sappy wish and, I swear, if you laugh I will kill you right here. I just... want to know."

Sanji was shaking his head by that point. He stopped walking in the middle of the sidewalk, the gates to the park within their sights. "No, you don't, Zoro," Sanji said seriously. "Some things you just don't want to know."

Zoro frowned, looking at Sanji sharply. "Yes I do. You don't know what you're talking about, curly brow! You remember your family, you know what you missed out on and what you didn't. You can't tell me what I don't want to know!"

"Would you feel any better knowing that they died horrible deaths? Or that they just didn't love you? Or, that they were both perfectly wonderful people that moved on to have other children and completely forgot about you, didn't even look for you?" Sanji snapped. He paused to catch his breath, trying to calm himself. "Would that make you happy?" he asked, gentler.

"Go to hell!" Zoro spat, stomping down the hill into the park.

Sanji watched him go without even trying to follow him. He didn't know if he wanted to be at the park anymore. Certainly, Zoro didn't want him around. The others would probably worry, though, if he didn't show up. Sanji figured he could just tell them he and Zoro had another fight, but he never liked saying that, especially not when he was the one in the wrong. But, he couldn't exactly apologize to Zoro. It couldn't just be cut and dried, there were things Sanji needed to consider. For one, Zoro probably wouldn't forgive him. And, for another, Sanji didn't feel the need to apologize for what he said. He was only sorry that it upset Zoro. His words were the truth.

"Ii-ji! Ni-ji! Sanjiiiii~!" A chorus of voices called from the park. Sanji laughed once as he walked slowly down towards the picnic tables where his friends were sitting, with the exception of Zoro, who was sitting under a nearby tree with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

When Sanji reached the table, Vivi was the first to ask, "What's wrong with Zoro-san? He looks upset."

"He is," Sanji said, reluctantly. "I said some things that I shouldn't have and he's decided to be mad at me."

"Whoa, you made him mad? Not the other way around?" Ussop asked, more shocked than Sanji cared to see.

Nami scoffed. "They make each other mad all the time. Today is no different, even though it should've been, seeing as this is our first outing as a group since Sanji-kun got back."

"That's right!" Luffy gasped. "I didn't even remember! Sanji, we've got to play a game!" Luffy jumped up out of his seat and grabbed Ussop as he went. "C'mon Nami, Vivi! Sanji will count and we have to hide!"

"Luffy, that's such a childish game!" Nami scolded, walking after him nonetheless.

"W-wait for me!" Vivi called, running after them.

Left alone with Zoro once again, Sanji felt awkward. He should apologize, he knew, but he didn't want to. He couldn't apologize for something that he didn't see as wrong. Sure, he could have been a little nicer about saying it, but Zoro probably would have been mad at him anyway.

Sanji walked around behind the tree that Zoro was sitting against and covered his face with his hands so the others would think he was counting. "Some things are better off forgotten. I'm sorry," he said. Zoro didn't respond and Sanji wondered if he'd fallen asleep like that, since that would be such a Zoro thing to do. "Zoro? I didn't mean to yell earlier. I really hope you're awake and can actually hear me..."

"I'm awake," Zoro said. Sanji looked around the tree trunk at him, but Zoro hadn't moved at all. His arms were still crossed, his eyes were still closed, and he was still scowling.

"Good." Sanji nodded. "I'm going to go play with the others. Do you want to play, too?"

"No."

Sanji frowned. "Okay, then. Would you play with them if I left?"

Zoro didn't answer. Sanji didn't need him to.

"Alright. I'll just go find them this once, and then I'll go," Sanji said resolutely. "You guys can have fun here and I'll help cook lunch for everyone. Bye, I guess."

"What the hell do you know?" Zoro grumbled so quietly that Sanji had to lean down just to hear him. "Everything you said earlier, it doesn't make a difference. I still want to know."

Sanji sighed, shaking his head slightly. "You will always want to know until you find out. Then you'll probably want to un-know," Sanji said as he walked off to go find his friends.

**There was a quote in there. Did you see it? It's cute and funny and I like it. Didn't catch it? Okay.**

**Iiji - One o'clock, Niji - Two o'clock, Sanji - Three o'clock. See? Wasn't that interesting? xD**

**Anywho, I liked that chapter. It didn't take me as long as I thought it would, once I got into the thick of it. What did you think? Do you want to meet Zoro's parents after reading this? Hmm...**


	31. Class Clown

**I don't really have anything to say, soo... Well, I'm really tired, I can say that. I spoil you guys, you know that, right?**

"I think... It'll be a walrus this time!" Luffy suggested jovially.

"What? Luffy, a walrus can't teach! Well, even though Alvida looked like a walrus... But, walruses can't teach!" Ussop said, waving his hand dismissively.

The other boy pouted, slouching in his chair. "Awww... But, I want a walrus to be our teacher! Then, the whole lesson would be in walrus language and we wouldn't understand, so we wouldn't have to do any schoolwork!"

Ussop rolled his eyes at that. "The school would never hire anyone that couldn't drive slaves like a pro. And, before you say it, a walrus can't drive slaves!"

Luffy whined, leaning back in his chair so that the front legs were in the air. "You're no fun! Sanji would say that a walrus could teach! And, drive slaves! And, maybe he'd pick another creature that could be our new substitute teacher. What do you think, Ussop?"

"I think Sanji wouldn't agree with that at all!" Ussop stated, shaking his head at Luffy's stupidity. Then, he thought of something. "Hey, where is Sanji, anyway? Class is about to start."

Luffy shrugged. "I don't know. He's not in my first class, so I didn't get to talk to him before I got to you. He should be here soon, though, 'cause I talked to him yesterday and he said he wanted to know what kind of teacher we'll have today," Luffy said with a nod.

"Hmm. If you say so. I didn't see him earlier either, and he usually catches up to us in the hall. But, I guess you're right." Ussop put a thoughtful hand under his chin, spacing out while Luffy talked about how cool it would be if the teacher was a gorilla.

Almost as if on cue, Sanji turned up in the doorway and hurried to sit in the seat behind Luffy. As soon as he was in his chair, the bell hollered, signalling that he was only just barely in time. "Sorry I'm late, guys," Sanji whispered. "I fell asleep in class."

Ussop and Luffy were snickering at him when a squeak similar to that of a dog toy came from the hall. Every tiny little sound that had been going on in the classroom died and curious children leaned forward in their seats to try and see what was out there.

"You'll never believe it," Sanji was whispering, shrinking down in his seat. "You'll never believe who they hired."

At that moment, a big, exaggeratedly rounded brown shoe appeared in the doorway and fell heavily on the floor, landing just to the side of the smudged, white spots that used to be painted cracks. Another foot followed, bringing with it a man in a mint green suit with dark green pinstripes. Blue hair pulled back in a ponytail reminiscent of Vivi's fell to the man's shoulders as he tip-toed around the blurry artwork in the floor. Under his suit jacket was a t-shirt with large vertical red-and-white stripes, and a purple scarf tucked away between jacket and shirt.

But, his clothing was not the main oddity. No, not at all. Every eyeball in that room was magnetized to the man's big red nose. Sure, they could have seen his dark red lips, or his eyes outlined all the way around with blue. But, they all zeroed in on that nose.

The clowney man barely acknowledged the students as he grabbed a piece of chalk with a gloved hand and wrote "Doukeno Buggy - NOT A CLOWN" across the blackboard.* One child began to say something in the front row, but Buggy cut her off by suddenly shouting, "If it's about my nose, then you can shut your tiny, insignificant trap!"

"U-uhm..." the girl struggled to find her words. "I... I was just going to... ask why you wrote 'not a clown' in big letters next to your name?"

Buggy's left eye twitched. "Are you calling me a clown?" he asked, narrowing his eyes at the little girl.

"N-no sir!" She backtracked quickly, slouching in her seat. "Never mind."

"Ha!" Buggy pointed a triumphant finger at her. "I thought so! Does anybody else have any other comments to make before we get started?!"

Luffy raised his hands and wiggled his fingers, his attention suctioned to Buggy's nose. Sanji and Ussop started shaking their heads, telling him, "No, Luffy! Don't say anything, just let it go!"

But, Luffy said it anyway. "Why's your nose all huge and red like a clown? Did you put a tomato on it?"

Despite himself, Ussop spat a short laugh before he covered his mouth with both hands. Buggy's jaw dropped, his eye twitching more noticeably. "What- You- My-" he stuttered, gloved hands grasping at the air as if searching for the right words. "That- Didn't I say I'm not a clown?! Didn't I say not to talk about my nose?!"

Luffy shrugged. Behind him, Sanji groaned, his head hitting his desk with a dull thud. "Luffy..."

"And you!" Buggy pointed to Ussop, who promptly flinched and attempted to hide behind the kid in front of him. "Do you think it's funny to insult your teacher?! You're both going to have detention after school today! And, maybe the whole week! You'll be writing sentences until your little hands fall off!"

"Ehhh?" Luffy whined, pouting. "That's so mean!"

"Well, you should think about that before you start insulting peoples perfectly normal noses!" Buggy countered in a screechy voice.

"That thing's not normal!" Luffy exclaimed, standing up quickly and causing his chair to fall over backwards.

"Yeah!" Ussop concurred, standing up as well and nearly tripping over his desk.

"You're one to talk!" Buggy shouted, pointing a finger and aiming his comically furious expression at Ussop.

Ussop sat down as quickly as he'd stood up, mumbling an apology. Sanji looked at him out of the corner of his eye, giving him a flat stare and an "I told you so" smirk.

"I can guarantee you'll have loads and loads of super-hard homework to do! And, you're lucky if I don't keep you in detention for the whole year!" Buggy screeched on and on. The actual "learning" part of the class didn't start until nearly twenty minutes in.

oOo

"I have come down with coulrophobia, I swear," Ussop muttered, walking sluggishly between Luffy and Nami as they went to their lunch table.**

The redhead hummed thoughtfully. "From what you two have told me, this guy is a total pedophile. The school board does it again, huh?" she asked, shaking her head. "I can't wait to see this clown. Are you guys planning to prank him like you did that fat lady?"

Luffy nodded, grinning. "Definitely. But, I do think his nose is funny. It's a mystery nose. Hey, Ussop, are you related to Doukenose Boogy?"

"I don't even know who that is!" Ussop scolded, slapping the back of his hand against Luffy's chest. "Baka! I'm not related to Doukeno Buggy, either! His nose and mine are completely different! Mine is real and his is fake!"

"You don't know that! He could be your uncle!" Luffy argued.

"We look nothing alike!" Ussop screeched, turning to Nami. "Tell him, Nami!"

Raising an eyebrow at the longnose, Nami said, "I've never seen him. I can't say that you're not related."

"Oh my God! Stop saying such horrible things!"

They sat down at the table to continue their conversation and momentarily Vivi appeared with Zoro in tow. "Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long!" Vivi apologized. Everyone greeted them enthusiastically and Luffy and Ussop began to recount their newest substitute teacher experience for Zoro and Vivi.

Nami looked around, keeping only one ear on the conversation. Someone was missing that she hadn't seen or heard from all day. "Hey, guys?" Nami interrupted Luffy's gross exaggeration of Buggy's nose. "Where's Sanji-kun?"

They all started looking around the room, but there wasn't a single curly eyebrow in sight. "Do you think he started the fun without us?" Luffy asked, starting to get out of his seat but still keeping near his lunch.

"What fun? Messing with Bugsy?" Nami asked. Vivi giggled, correcting Nami and saying that she would have that class later in the day, since she was in the same grade as Ussop, Luffy and Sanji. "Still," Nami said, giving Vivi something of an exasperated look. "I don't think he would do that."

"Ne, Zoro, have you seen Sanji?" Ussop asked, watching the entrance to the cafeteria.

Zoro thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No," he said simply.

"Well," Vivi started quietly, glancing down at her lunch. "We have the same class to start the day, and Sanji-kun was saying this morning that he was really tired, and he actually fell asleep during class. Maybe he dozed off again?" she suggested.

Ussop and Luffy started laughing. "Yeah, he did say that, didn't he? I remember now. He's probably sleepwalking here right now!" Luffy said with a bright grin. "That'll be so funny! I hope he gets here soon."

"Luffy! Nobody does that! And, it wouldn't be funny, it would be creepy," Ussop scolded. But, Nami and Vivi were laughing and even Zoro snorted. "Besides, what if he's really tired because of some awful disease he's contracted?"

"Ussop-san!" Vivi gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. "Don't say such things!"

"Exactly! Ussop, that's terrible!" Nami agreed, punching the top of Ussop's head.

"Geez, shut up already," Zoro groaned, rolling his eyes away from them. Zoro's gaze landed on a very sluggish blond holding his backpack to his chest as he approached their table. "He's here."

Rubbing his eyes slowly, Sanji greeted, "Hey everyone... Sorry I'm late."

"Where've you been, Sanji?" Luffy asked, patting the empty seat on his left.

Sanji yawned as he sat down with his backpack in his lap. "Nowhere in particular," he mumbled tiredly. "I went to the nurse's office a few minutes ago with one of my teachers, but nothing actually happened. Buggy was in there."

"Huh?" Ussop questioned, his jaw hanging slack and displaying his half-chewed food.

"Your new teacher was in the infirmary? Why?" Nami asked.

"Teachers go there?" Vivi asked to no one in particular.

"That clown guy that Luffy and Ussop were just talking about?" Zoro puzzled.

Sanji nodded, pulling his lunch out of his backpack and setting it on the table. "Yeah. I didn't stay long, since I'm only tired and my teacher was overreacting, but Buggy was complaining that someone tried to rip his nose off."

Luffy threw his head back and laughed, nearly falling out of his chair. "And it didn't work?" he asked, giggling almost hysterically.

"Nope," Sanji said, shaking his head slowly as he munched on an apple slice. "He left with a big ol' Band-Aid on his nose."

Ussop nearly choked on his lunch as he started to laugh and Vivi patted him on the back. "Is it really that funny?" Vivi asked. "I mean, it probably hurt him a lot if someone tried to rip his nose off..."

"The funny part is that it's really his nose," Sanji explained, offering his apples across the table to Vivi. "Have you seen it yet? It's this big and it's bright red." Sanji made a loose fist and put it over his nose to demonstrate.

Nami and Vivi giggled at his interpretation. "That's really how big his nose is? What a weirdo!" Nami laughed.

"Oh, oh, oh," Ussop said, trying to regain enough composure to use real words. "He- Ahah, he completely freaked out when Luffy made fun of his nose!"

"I was only asking," Luffy said innocently. This only made the others laugh more.

Zoro, however, was not amused. "You guys shouldn't complain. You've just got a psycho clown, not some sadistic freak of a substitute teacher."

"You have a new teacher as well?" Sanji asked, eyebrows raised.

Hesitating only a moment, Zoro nodded, not looking directly at Sanji. "Yeah."

"What's Zoro's new teacher like?" Luffy asked, tilting his head to the side like a curious puppy.

Shrugging, Zoro said, "His name's... Cabbage, or something. And he's got this screwed-up hair with shaved stripes on one side. Oh, and he came into the classroom riding a unicycle."

Nami smirked. "You guys get all the circus rejects, don't you?" she snorted.

Zoro scoffed. "You didn't even hear the best part. He throws things at us," Zoro said, almost like he was bored with the whole business already. "Spinning tops and crap like that. He deserves an award for worst teacher ever."

The others started trading comments about Zoro's retelling of his teacher's antics, but tucked between Luffy and Nami, Sanji sat quietly, no longer munching, just staring blankly down at something unseen on the tabletop. No one seemed to notice, Zoro observed, except for Zoro himself.

He hadn't wanted to talk to Sanji after what was said over the weekend, but something was off with him. It had been apparent on Sunday and before they left for school that something was wrong, but Zoro had tried his best not to care. As it seemed at the lunch table, so was everyone else. It wasn't good.

Before Zoro could say anything at all, Luffy spoke up. "Okay! So, after school today, we'll get Buggy, right?"

"Whaaaat? Are you going to make a habit of getting teachers fired?" Nami questioned, pointing her juice box at Luffy.

"Well, if Buggy-san is really that bad, I suppose I can't say anything negative," Vivi said, shrugging one shoulder. "If you are going to do it anyway... I'll help."

Ussop gulped. "M-m-m-me, too! I'll be the b-b-bravest and I'll- I'll... Tell you all my secret plan later on! I will defeat B-Bugsy with little to no help from my l-loyal crew!"

Nami sighed, rolling her eyes at the two boys who were discussing their "battle plans," and turned to Sanji. "You're against this, right?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.

The blond looked up, startled. "Huh? Me? Uhh... sure," Sanji said, looking around the table. "What... what is it that I'm against?"

"Ugh!" Nami's forehead became acquainted with the tabletop.

"We were gonna go prank the classroom like we did to make Alvida quit," Luffy informed, grinning.

Sanji made a small "o" shape with his mouth and nodded slowly, looking only slightly more awake than he had earlier. "Okay. I'm in. That clown ticks me off, anyway."

"Good! Zoro? You gonna help us?"

They all looked to Zoro hopefully, though Nami was telling him to discourage them. The green-haired boy caught blue eyes staring at him intently and quickly turned back to his lunch. "I have my own teacher problems to deal with. You guys can handle Buggy, or Bugsy, or whatever, without me."

Nami sighed and thanked him, but she was the only one. Luffy, Ussop, Sanji and Vivi all whined, disappointed. "You're no fun, Zoro!" Luffy whined, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks.

"We can still do it without him," Sanji comforted, patting Luffy on the back and deliberately not looking at Zoro when the older boy glared at him. "It'll just be less conspicuous, you know. Without that stranded patch of moss wandering around with us."

"Pssh, whatever! You seem to be forgetting it was my idea in the first place, dart brow!" Zoro snapped, glaring at Sanji.

Stubbornly ignoring Zoro, Sanji said, "After school, I'll be at the classroom with some supplies, okay? You guys try not to get in any trouble between now and then."

**Fun fact: "Doukeno" is just a smooshed up version of Buggy's title in the series. He is "Douke no Bagii" or, Buggy the clown. What can I say? I'm lazy. xP**

**Also, since I felt I should mention, "coulrophobia" is the fear of clowns. In case that wasn't implied hard enough. I thought it was funny because I misread it colorophobia. And, since clowns are usually very colorful... You get my confusion. *fail***


	32. Tired

**Heeeeeellllllloooooooooo, guuuuuuuuyyssssssss! I really missed posting things in the very short while that I was absent! I do have explanations/excuses for being so late, but since I don't think anyone actually cares, I just put them on my profile. That being said (about the updating thing, not the excuses), I am NOT going to do NaNoWriMo this year, though I had been contemplating it. I wanted to, I really did, but my inspiration for my fanfics is running higher than anything I had for the original I was going to write. So, yeah. You guys will have me for the next month. ;)**

After all the day's classes had ended, most of the group met up in the same classroom they had vandalized not even a week ago. As they had expected, Zoro was not present, but in addition, Sanji was also missing.

"I hope he's just running late again," Luffy said with a pout. Ussop nodded in agreement while they started opening drawers in Buggy's desk.

"What if Sanji-kun is ill? He didn't look well," Vivi said, worrying aloud.

"Don't jinx it!" Ussop whisper-shouted, looking at Vivi like she'd started the apocalypse.

Nami nodded vigorously, agreeing completely with Ussop. "If you say it out loud, then it will become true! He's probably just tired is all!" Nami insisted, laughing exaggeratedly as she set her canvas backpack on a random desk in the front row. "Help me out with this paint, Vivi-chan!"

"Wait, I thought we were going to do the same things as last time?" Vivi questioned, holding out her hands for the small jars of paint Nami was handing her anyway.

Luffy stopped in the middle of putting an empty drawer back upside down. "I thought so, too. What are you doing, Nami?" Luffy asked, looking confused and intrigued by all the colorful paints Nami had pulled from her bag.

"I forgot to ask Sanji-kun where the Wite-Out came from, so I just got what I could find. Figured this would be better," Nami explained, holding up red paint in one hand and yellow in the other. "You guys said he's touchy about his big red nose, right?"

Ussop squawked suddenly, jumping back from the desk and knocking the drawer he was inspecting out of the desk with the action. "Why do we always get the psychos?!" Ussop screeched as the drawer and its contents clattered to the floor.

Luffy gawked at the mess on the floor, his eyes wide and a slow grin spreading across his face. Nami and Vivi shared a worried and confused look before walking around the desk to peek at what Ussop had spilled. Shining against the ugly green floor were at least a dozen well-polished throwing knives that looked very, very sharp.

"How in the world...?" Vivi mumbled, crouching down and delicately picking up one of the knives.

Nami laughed hauntedly with a look of acute terror on his face. "You guys... have such awful luck... why do you drag me into these things?"

"Are you kidding? This is awesome! Look at all these! Hey, Ussop, wanna see who has the best aim?" Luffy asked excitedly.

Ussop punched the top of his head. "Of course not, you idiot! I don't want to die!"

"Nami-san, how come you weren't scared when we hid the last teacher's bludgeoning tool? That was much scarier than paring kniv- ouch!" The knife Vivi had been holding made a metallic clinking sound as it hit the floor for the second time in the same two minutes. On the pad of Vivi's right index finger was a tiny cut with a single bead of blood forming on it.

"That's why!" Nami practically wailed, examining Vivi's finger. "That thing was blunt, not sharp, and it had a bigger handle to hold onto. These throwing knives may be little, but they're sharp, Vivi-chan!"

"I'm fine. It's just a little scratch. I'll go wash it off in the bathroom, okay?" Vivi said, starting to head out of the classroom.

"Luffy, go with her," Nami ordered, pointing with her whole arm to Vivi. Luffy agreed easily and offered to lead Vivi to the men's room.

"Why'd you send him, too?" Ussop asked, the other two barely out of earshot. He picked up a knife by its hilt with two fingers and dropped it less-then-elegantly into the drawer it had come from.

Nami raised an eyebrow as if it was obvious. "The idiot would cut his whole arm open with one of these. Haven't you seen that scar under his eye? That's from a throwing knife like these!"

Ussop took a startled step away from Nami, then looked at the knife he'd been about to pick up. "R-really? I didn't know! Wh-what'll we do?" Ussop stammered.

"Easy," Nami began, picking up one of the knives and placing it in the drawer. "We pick up and hide all of them before he gets back. Now, start picking up faster, the bathroom's really not a long walk from here."

"Y-yes, sir!" Ussop quickly but cautiously picked up the knives one by one and put them in the drawer. He barely concealed the drawer full of knives when he left the classroom just as Luffy and Vivi were returning.

"N-Nami-san," Vivi whined, walking over to stand next to her redheaded friend. "Do you know about boys' bathrooms...?"

"Huh? Of course not! Luffy, don't traumatize Vivi-chan!" Nami scolded, leading Vivi to take a seat at one of the desks.

The raven-haired boy shrugged. "I wasn't trying to," he said, as if that made everything better. He opened a drawer in Buggy's desk and then the previous conversation was completely forgotten. "Whoa! Awesome! Guys, look at this hat!" Out of the drawer, Luffy pulled an orange pirate's hat with a skull and crossbones on the front. It had white trim along the top brim of the hat and two odd holes on the inside of the hat, invisible from the outside.

Ussop scurried into the room just as Luffy was trying the hat on. "Whose hat is that? Do you know where that's been?" Ussop questioned.

"What? No, obviously not. It's not _my_ hat! But, it came from Bugsy's desk drawer," Luffy said, pointing to the drawer he meant. "Isn't it cool looking? I don't think it's a clown hat, though."

"That's not important! It could have lice, ya know," Ussop told him, snatching the hat away from Luffy and tossing it on the new office chair that had been given to Buggy. The old chair's cover had been ripped up, mysteriously in the shape of a large butt.

"Lice? What do those look like? Are they friendly?" Luffy asked, making a grab for the hat again.

Ussop blocked him. "You can't have that! And, Luffy, lice aren't friendly! They eat your head and tunnel into your brain!"

"Uhh, Ussop-san, aren't you exaggerating just a bit?" Vivi asked, raising an eyebrow.

"A bit...?" Nami questioned with a snort, crossing her arms and looking at Ussop.

As Ussop was about to retort, Sanji burst into the classroom looking more awake than he had all day. "Guys! We have to go, now!" Sanji said, panicking.

"Why? What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

Sanji just shook his head. "No time! We have to go now! Hurry, hurry!" Sanji waved everyone out of the classroom, glancing nervously at the opposite end of the hall. The others followed his gaze, but they didn't see anything. "Just trust me! We have to go!" Sanji said, whispering urgently now.

As they rounded the corner, a wheel squeaked elsewhere in the building and footsteps accompanied by little clacking sounds grew steadily louder. Sanji nodded his head towards the corner, gesturing for them to look down the hall they'd just come from.

At the very end of that hall was a man with short white hair that extended down the sides of his face and under his chin, making it look like a hood. The man was wearing a janitor's uniform and bandana on his head, but he wasn't rolling a bin of water. Instead, there was a large, lion-looking cat behind him with a harness and leash that was attached to the rolling shelf of mop water and spray cleaners.

"Who's he? I've never seen that guy before," Luffy said, less than quietly.

Sanji shushed him silently. "He's the new janitor. I saw him coming on my way here. He was talking to Buggy like they knew each other," Sanji informed.

"Shoot," Ussop mumbled, retreating back behind the wall. "That can't be good."

"What'll we do, now?" Vivi asked.

Nami made a thoughtful sound. "Obviously, we can't do this today. Maybe tomorrow the janitor won't be here at exactly the wrong time."

"Let's go get Zoro!" Luffy took off before the others even processed what he said.

oOo

His classroom was unfindable. It was ridiculous, but he'd long given up hope of finding it. His mind was somewhere else entirely, although he'd told himself and the others that he would be sabotaging his new teacher. He couldn't do it. It wasn't any fun when he was all alone.

Zoro looked both ways at his equally deserted options. He couldn't remember for sure which way led to the stairs, but he was almost certain it was left. So, turning left, Zoro began to reflect on his thoughts.

Despite his best efforts, he just couldn't leave the subject of Sanji alone. Not that he, by any means, had forgiven Sanji for saying that Zoro really didn't want to remember his own parents. He was still upset about that. But, he could still be worried at the same time.

_Not worried... just curious,_ Zoro told himself. But, he wasn't sure which was really true. He wanted to know why Sanji looked like a zombie, and he wanted to know if it was something that was upsetting him, but he still wasn't quite ready to talk to Sanji yet. He was probably just being too stubborn, he knew, but he didn't want to forgive Sanji. As much as Zoro hated to admit it, he had feelings and they were hurt.

On top of all of that, though, he had to know what was wrong with Sanji. He didn't look good. He looked like he might fall asleep any second at lunch, not to mention how sad his eyes were. Zoro had to know. He had to figure it out. He had to help.

"Zorooooo~!" Luffy's voice echoed almost painfully in the empty hallways.

"What?" Zoro called, irritated. He was trying to think. Why did Luffy have to interrupt him?

"Wheeeere aaaare-"

"Stop shouting, baka!" Nami hissed and then Luffy was silent. Zoro couldn't see them anywhere, but he could hear footsteps.

Then, Vivi's timid voice. "A-ano... Since the stairs are in the opposite direction... wouldn't Zoro-san be this way?"*

"Ahahah, good thinking, Vivi!" Ussop laughed. Zoro started in the direction their voices were coming from.

"Hey, Zoro, what are you near? Any hints for us?" Luffy asked loudly, sounding like he was playing a game. Nonetheless, Zoro looked around for a unique something that would tell them where he was.

"Uhh... There's a classroom? And, a closet. Does that help?" Zoro asked, slowly advancing past the things he mentioned.

There was some snickering and vague chatters before Sanji spoke up. "Just, stand still, okay? Wait for us." He sounded tired and high-strung at the same time.

Zoro was tempted to make a comment, to ask if that was a jab at his sense of direction, but he decided it would be better to just stay put and bite his tongue. He listened as the others shuffled around somewhere near, but not quite visible. He could hear bits and pieces of their conversation, but nothing more than murmurs. Finally, after a long, mostly silent few minutes, Ussop's head peeked around the corner and he called out to the others that he'd found Zoro. _I wasn't lost to begin with..._

"Ne, Zoro, did you get to do anything fun today?" Luffy asked dismally.

Zoro shrugged. "Nah." He wasn't going to mention the part about being unable to find the classroom. "What's wrong? Did you guys not get to prank the clown?"

"No," Vivi answered. "We had to go or we'd be spotted by a janitor with a pet lion."

"But, we'll go back tomorrow!" Ussop announced loudly, striking a pose. "Because the Ussop pirates are a resilient bunch!"

"Huh? 'Ussop pirates?' No, thank you." Nami stuck her tongue out at Ussop. "I'll just be a cat burglar, so I can steal whatever you... pillage."

Luffy laughed at their exchange before he circled back around to the subject he'd been moping about in spurts. "Oh, right. Zoro, you have to help us when we go to prank Buggy, next time! You're really good at it!" Luffy insisted, wrapping himself around Zoro's left arm.

"Didn't I already say I've got my own teacher problems?" Zoro grumbled, half-heartedly trying to shake Luffy off his arm. "I can't help you guys out."

"But, Zoroooo!" Luffy whined, tugging on Zoro's arm. "We need you! We're nakama!"

"And, I already said I'm busy!" Zoro rolled his eyes.

Vivi intervened before a small argument could become a shouting match. "We've been here long enough, haven't we? Do you all want to go home?"

"Yes, please," Sanji said, smiling at Vivi. Zoro noticed then that Sanji hadn't acknowledged him yet.

"Alright! Come on, then, crew! We'll formulate a plan at the home front!" Ussop announced.

oOo

Sanji almost couldn't keep his eyes from freely rolling around in his head, he was so tired. On the way back to the orphanage, he almost tripped. Four times. He knew he had to get some sleep, some _real_ sleep, before he just conked out and slept on the sidewalk.

The others all went to Luffy and Zoro's room to make plans, but Sanji told them he was going to take a nap. Or, that's what he was trying to say, but he couldn't quite recall if his mouth even opened. He just really, really had to sleep.

For a minute, Sanji hesitated between the elevator and the stairs, wondering if he would fall asleep in the fifteen second ride up, or die of exhaustion on the walk up three flights of stairs. In the end, Sanji decided he liked elevators better. They were nicer and his friends were taking the stairs, so it would be easier and quieter. They wouldn't poke his face when his eyes started to cross and his head started to roll.

The elevator music lulled him into a practical coma, so he barely heard when it dinged to tell him to get the heck off. He had to push off the wall of the elevator with his shoulder to get himself going in a headlong stumble towards his room, but it was better than sleeping standing up in a dingy elevator.

He pushed open his door with a lot of effort from his sleepy muscles and fell into the floor, only acknowledging that he'd actually hurt his knees and face ten seconds after the fact. "Oww," Sanji grumbled, pushing himself up with his hands and sitting on his legs. He somehow flailed his way over to sit with his back propped against the bedframe and his legs out in front of him, but Sanji didn't care to try for the bed.

Sanji leaned his head against the edge of the mattress, his eyes closing automatically. He was almost too tired to sleep, but for the sake of his sanity, he would still try to. Flashes of memories blinked through his mind, followed by some things that had happened earlier that day, and then the blackness that he cherished, but didn't expect. Sleep finally took pity on him and Sanji was snoring in minutes.

He could just see wisps of dreams in the corner of his subconscious when he resurfaced in his room, only vaguely aware that he was awake. He didn't know what he had been dreaming about, if he had been dreaming, or what exactly had woken him up. Sanji still felt exhausted, but he looked out the window at the beginnings of a sunset and decided he would sleep better at night if he just stuck it out.

Before Sanji could get up off the floor and attempt to rid his neck of the kinks sleep had put in it, Sanji realized he couldn't exactly move his legs. He didn't have a chance to be confused when he looked down at his legs. Just curious.

"Zoro?" Sanji questioned and the patch of moss in his lap flinched. "What are you doing here?"

"...I'll be occupying this space... Hope ya don't mind," Zoro mumbled, settling his head into Sanji's lap with his body stretched out to Sanji's right.

Sanji laughed through his nose. "Nah. Go ahead," he answered, tentatively placing a hand on Zoro's hair. "I don't mind."

*** Ano - Umm. Simple and easy as that. "Uhh..."**

**I don't even... words... geh... If you recognized a bit of Zoro's dialogue up there, good for you. It was a joke for myself (albeit not in the conventional way), but I'd like to know if it sparked a memory with you.**

**P.S. There's a belated Halloween fic in the works. It won't be much, but, y'know. I wanted to. So, I did. xD Happy Halloween~!**


	33. Double vision

**Hi y'all. I dunno why I feel like a creature being holed away in a basement, but I do. Maybe it's my lack of activity? I'm actually not as inactive as I feel like I am, but Real World Land is taking it's toll on me. Lots of creepy people out here, lemme tell ya. o_O**

**Enough about me, I suppose. Time to get to the stuff you really wanna read. ;)**

The next day, Nami was the one to go save Zoro from wasting away the lunch hour wandering around the school. She didn't know how it happened that way, but she supposed it worked to her advantage. She had some things to say, anyway.

"Zoro-kun~!" Nami called, smiling and waving at him from the opposite end of a relatively long hallway. She saw him freeze and caught the disgusted look on his face. He didn't like the suffix. Good. "I'm here to help!"

"You? No thanks." Zoro kept on walking, but Nami caught up to him easy enough.

"That's not polite, idiot," Nami scolded briefly, before a grin spread across her face. "Would you have preferred Sanji-kun come get you?"

Zoro looked at her like she was crazy, the way he often did. "I thought the implication was, yes, anyone but you."

Nami snorted, breathing her way past her annoyance. "My point is, I saw you two last night," she said, grinning deviously at the memory. She, if no one else, understood the significance, she was sure. She definitely had something to hold over Zoro's head forever and ever and-

"So what? Is that supposed to mean something?" Zoro deadpanned.

Nami spluttered. "Wh-what are you talking about? Of course it's supposed to mean something! I went to Sanji-kun's room last night and saw you sleeping with your head in his lap! He was petting your hair, Roronoa Zoro, don't try to deny it!" she shouted, pointing at him with her whole arm.

"And?" Zoro asked, raising a less-than-impressed brow at her.

Nami gawked, her arms falling limply at her sides. "What the hell, Zoro?! How slow can you be?!"

Rolling his eyes, Zoro said, "Maybe I just don't care what you think."

"What about what the others think? You can't pretend you don't, Zoro," Nami said, looking at him seriously. "Do you like Sanji?" Zoro scoffed, looking away from Nami. But, she noticed he didn't reply. "Interesting..."

Zoro looked at her suspiciously, but he didn't have a chance to say anything before they reached the lunch room. Then, Luffy was on top of them telling them about a great plan, and Ussop was behind him saying that his plan was terrible and not to listen to him. Sanji came out of nowhere, disagreeing with Ussop and those two got into an argument. Vivi came up just as they all were sitting down at their table to try and play referee.

It was a whirlwind of chatter and activity and all the while, Nami was keeping her eye on Zoro and Sanji. Even if Zoro didn't admit it, she knew something was going on.

oOo

Sanji could swear Nami kept looking at him. It was a little strange. Not that he minded, because he liked Nami, but it was creeping him out a bit. Her normal expression was a bit sinister, or perhaps conniving is the word. But, the one she was wearing while looking at him was slightly different. He couldn't quite tell what the difference was, but it was starting to bug him.

"Guys, you have got to tell him it's a bad idea! I mean, it's pure idiocy! Luffy has a record for coming up with horrible plans!" Ussop raved, gesturing more with each word. Luffy was just laughing at his proclamations, while Nami was agreeing, Vivi was trying to make peace and Zoro was looking on with a face of confusion.

"Ussop," Sanji began, mostly to get the other to shut his face long enough to hear what other people were saying. "Out of all of Luffy's terrible, crash-and-burn plans, this one is the least likely to fail. It's actually a pretty good idea, considering the idiot who came up with it."

"Thank you! See, Uss- Wait, did you just call me an idiot?"

"Now, I have to disagree, Sanji-kun. I think it's an awful idea! We can't go back there! That guy is a psychopathic nut, who's probably already exploded about his missing knives!" Nami argued.

"Nah, he wasn't really that mad. He was just... what's the word?" Luffy paused, rubbing his chin in thought.

"Twitchy?" Ussop supplied and Luffy nodded.

"Yeah, that's the one! He was just twitchy, not really angry. Hey, can I have your meat, Sanji?"

The blond shrugged, pushing his lunch towards Luffy and taking the opportunity to talk. "I think it'll work. We could have two on either floor doing the vandalizing, and then one for keeping watch. It's really not a bad plan, Ussop, considering the last one was 'go there and see what happens next.'"

"Would someone like to tell _me_ what the hell 'the plan' is?" Zoro growled, narrowing his eyes at Nami who just smiled at him.

Vivi started to explain, but Ussop spoke over her. "I'll tell him, so he'll take my side! Luffy thought we should split up into two teams, one for our classroom and one for yours, but that would be terrible, because we'd only have-"

"That's perfect," Zoro interrupted, nodding. "I agree with Luffy's plan."

"What? Why?!" Ussop moaned, hitting his forehead on the table and subsequently squishing his nose.

"Because, it's just better. That way if we're going to get caught it's not the whole group, so it's easier to get out," Zoro explained simply. Ussop couldn't argue with Zoro's logic.

Nami cleared her throat. "And, so that Zoro doesn't get lost again."

"Hey! I wasn't lost!"

"You definitely were," Sanji said, somewhat pityingly. Zoro just frowned at him defiantly and Sanji laughed. "Ask the others! They'll tell you the same thing!"

"Yep," Nami chimed in, smirking proudly when Zoro glared at her.

"Forgive me, Zoro-san, but you really are bad about directions..." Vivi mumbled, looking anywhere but at Zoro.

"Yeah, Zoro, you should work on that. Nami, do you have a map of the school?" Luffy inquired, around a mouthful of Sanji's lunch.

Nami scoffed. "Of course I do! But, it wouldn't do him any good, since he doesn't know how to read maps. And, even if he did, he'd still find a way to get lost."

"I'm not that bad!" Zoro protested.

"Yes, you are." Ussop turned his head to the side to be heard clearly. "Now I can't argue against Luffy's plan, you directionless idiot!"

oOo

They ended up parting ways after a good amount of arguing over who was on whose team. The elected team leaders were Luffy and Zoro. Sanji and Nami were on Luffy's "team," while Ussop and Vivi were on Zoro's. There was still much bickering as they split up, but it was better and quieter in groups of three.

"I wonder if they have a plan," Sanji said, looking over his shoulder at the other group as they went upstairs to the middle school.

Luffy shrugged. "They'll figure it out! They're really smart!"

"Compared to who?" Nami asked, looking at Luffy out of the corner of her eye.

"Eh? What does that mean? They're just smart," Luffy insisted, nodding resolutely. "I know they'll be fine."

"Yeah, they'll be fine, but smart is another matter entirely," Nami said, shaking her head as they arrived at the classroom. "Did you guys bring the stuff I asked for?"

"Of course, Nami-san!" Sanji smiled, pulling a relatively large paint brush out of his jacket pocket.

Luffy pouted. "Sanji wouldn't let me carry the one you told me to get!" Luffy whined, flopping down into Buggy's office chair and rolling around the ugly tile floor on it.

"That's because you'd surely impale yourself by running around with them," Sanji said, rolling his eyes as he slung his backpack off his shoulder and pulled a pair of scissors out of it. He handed the scissors to Nami and went to Buggy's desk. "You wanted those for something like this, right?" Sanji asked, opening one of the drawers in the desk and closing it back, then opening another.

Luffy looked into the drawer over Sanji's shoulder and tilted his head to the side. "Huh? I don't get it. What're you gonna do with that?"

"You'll see," Nami promised, smirking.

oOo

"Oh, wow." Vivi and Ussop gawked at the size of Zoro's classroom, one that he'd told them the room number for and that they'd led him to. "This is a lot bigger than the classrooms downstairs!" Vivi marveled.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "I don't think it is, really. There are just fewer students, so fewer chairs."

"Still!" Ussop spun around in one of the aisles between rows of chairs. "This is great! We should have bigger classrooms!"

"It's like this because that idiot Stripy-sensei likes to ride his unicycle up and down the aisles, watching us all work. It's creepy and annoying," Zoro told them, standing close to the clunky, rectangular teacher's desk.

Vivi walked around the desk and stood where the teacher's chair would be. "Doesn't he sit?" Vivi asked innocently.

"He's got a unicycle," Zoro said simply.

"Hey, Zoro, where does he put his unicycle? Is it still in the school?" Ussop inquired excitedly.

Zoro made a scrunched up face. "How the hell would I know?"

"Oh!" Not so subtly, Vivi closed a drawer she'd been looking in and looked between the two boys nervously. "M-maybe someone should go check supply closets? Or, maybe the teachers' lounge?"

Ussop looked at her suspiciously. "Vivi, what did you find?"

"Nothing!"

"What, did you find his knives?" Zoro asked. His tone was calm and almost bored, but Vivi still squeaked.

"No! It's not anything! Just a spider!" Vivi said quickly, looking at Ussop as the beginnings of alarm showed on his face. "Ussop-san, it's okay, it really-"

"This guy, too?! Please, tell me there aren't knives, Vivi!" Ussop cried.

"There are knives," Zoro said mercilessly.

Ussop threw himself on the floor, suddenly possessing a cough and the shakes. "Oh no... Fear for me not, my disciples, I have only just come down with the goody-two-shoes disease! 'Tis not fatal! I shall regain my superhero health when, ahem, when we abandon this place, and with it the notion of ever vandalizing the property of psychotic teachers!"

"Ussop-san! Are you alright?!"

"What eleven-year-old talks like that?"

oOo

"No, Nami! I won't let you! You have to respect the hat!" Luffy ran around the classroom, even though Nami wasn't chasing him, clutching Buggy's orange pirate hat to his chest.

"It's not even your hat, Luffy!" Nami groaned, still holding up the scissors with which she'd attempted blasphemy in Luffy's book. "I thought you hated your new teacher!"

"Yeah, but not his hat!"

Sanji was shaking his head in the background. "This is so strange..." he mumbled as he stood on a chair and painted a large red circle on the blackboard with the paint Nami had brought. By the time he finished filling in the outline, Nami and Luffy were still arguing over the fate of the hat.

"Luffy, you're going to get us caught! I will not stand for my reputation to be tarnished! Get you stupid self over here and let me have that hat!" Nami snapped, one hand on her hip and the hand holding the scissors pointed demandingly at the ground by her feet.

"No! This hat is cool! It's not as cool as my hat, but still! I won't let you hurt it!" Luffy shouted pitifully.

"Shut _up_!" Sanji hissed, dropping the paintbrush still covered in red paint onto the desktop without hesitation. "You're being too loud!"

"Sanji, tell her she can't hurt the hat!"

"Nami-san, is there anything else that could be done with it?" Sanji asked politely.

Nami scoffed. "Absolutely not! I want to cut it up into little tiny pieces and glue them to the floor in the shape of a beli sign!" Nami pointed the scissors at Luffy. "And I only feel that way because you're trying to keep that thing from me!"

"Y-you mean, you wouldn't cut it up if I gave it to you now?" Luffy asked hopefully.

Nami started to say something but she paused when Sanji came up beside her and raised his eyebrows in a "you get it, don't you?" sort of way. Oh, she got it alright.

"Cross my heart, I will not cut it up into tiny pieces," Nami swore, making an invisible x on the right side of her chest. Reluctantly, Luffy handed the hat over and Nami grinned in triumph. "Now, you and Sanji-kun go look for the throwing knives that were in here. Ussop hid them yesterday and the dumbbell forgot to tell me where." Luffy perked up almost instantly and started out of the classroom chirping about "adventure."

As Sanji left the classroom, Nami winked at him and he had to smile. Even when she was being devious and kind of mean, she was still cute.

oOo

"Oh my! Zoro-san, Ussop-san, look! It's a unicycle!" Vivi exclaimed, her backside and legs poking out from behind the door to a closet that was only two doors down from the classroom. A moment later, she wheeled out a unicycle that came up to her shoulder.

"He actually keeps that thing in the school? In an unguarded closet, no less. That guy really is an idiot," Zoro snorted.

Ussop walked up to the unicycle with sparkly eyes. "It's... glorious. I've never seen one of these before! This is so cool! Hey, Zoro, come help me get on this!"

"Do it yourself," Zoro called over his shoulder as he went back into Cabaji's classroom. He went over to the desk and started looking through the drawers, barely noticing when scuffling sounds started down the hall. "Guys? What's going on out there?"

Zoro had just opened the drawer containing numerous throwing knives with two-inch blades when he heard a loud clatter and an equally noisy "itee!"* He bumped into the desk on his way to the door and stumbled out into the hall. Vivi and Ussop were in a heap on the floor with the unicycle sandwiched between them. "U-Ussop-san... daijoubu... desuka?"**

"You two, I swear..." Zoro grumbled, moving over to them and helping Vivi off the unicycle, then helping the unicycle off of Ussop. "You dead?"

"Why... y-yes. Thank you for your concern," Ussop said in an exaggeratedly ailed voice. Zoro just rolled his eyes and went back to the classroom. A few seconds later, after a bit of rustling, he came back with one of the throwing knives from the desk. "W-w-w-w-what are you g-going to d-d-do with th-that?!" Ussop squeaked, scrambling back and away from Zoro.

"Calm down! As if I would dirty a perfectly good blade with your blood!" Zoro snapped, somewhat offended and somewhat proud that Ussop was still scared of him after having known him for more than two years. Zoro knelt beside the unicycle and slashed the solitary wheel with the knife. Then, he took the point of the knife and used it to loosen one of the screws attaching seat to wheel. "There. That should do it."

Vivi fiddled with her coat sleeves nervously. "I don't know, Zoro-san... Wouldn't your teacher get hurt by using the unicycle in that state?"

"Not if he's smart enough to see the tire beforehand," Zoro answered, smirking in a way that suggested he didn't think that was likely.

"So, is that it, then? Are we done? 'Cause, I really wanna go now." Ussop nodded quickly to accentuate his words.

Zoro thought for a moment, then shook his head. "There's just one more thing I'd like to do."

oOo

After nearly ten minutes, Luffy and Sanji returned to the classroom empty-handed. Nami was sitting in Buggy's chair spinning in circles when they came in and didn't stop spinning to acknowledge them. "I guess you didn't find them, huh?"

"Nah. But, there's a giant litter box in a closet by the bathrooms!" Luffy informed, grinning.

The redhead made an unimpressed noise. "Find anything useful at all?"

"No," Sanji replied. "Did you have any luck here?"

"Only with the thing I was doing when you guys left," Nami said, stopping the chair abruptly by sticking her foot out and catching the edge of the desk. "I did find some makeup, but I don't think that would be particularly incriminating, considering he wears makeup in public. I saw him earlier and he looked like he was fresh from clown camp."

"So, what? Are we gonna go home yet? I'm hungry..." Luffy whined.

Nami sighed. "I guess, since we don't know where the knives are. That was a big part of my plan, too..."

"We'll find out from Ussop where the knives are, okay? So, tomorrow, if Buggy hasn't already quit or been fired, we can use those as a last resort kind of thing," Sanji offered.

"If Ussop even remembers where he put them," Nami whined. "You know how he is about that."

"Maybe he set up a booty trap for Buggy!" Luffy suggested hopefully as they exited the classroom.

"I think you mean booby trap," Nami corrected.

Luffy frowned, confusedly. "That doesn't make any sense. I like booty trap better, because it means a trap for his butt!"

"How have you lived this long?" Nami groaned, smacking her palm to her forehead while Sanji laughed.

oOo

"I don't like it! Let me go! One of us has to survive to tell the story!" Ussop squawked as Zoro dragged him along by the straps of his overalls. "Pleeeeeasssee! I want to live!"

"Shut up! We're going to be noticed if you keep complaining, and when that happens, I'll make sure you're the only one found," Zoro told him. Ussop's mouth had snapped shut before Zoro even finished talking.

"That's a little extreme, Zoro-san," Vivi said, quietly stern.

Zoro adjusted the drawer of spinning tops in his arms as they walked, paying the other two little to no attention. Honestly, he didn't know why he brought them. It would have been so much easier if he had just-

"That's the wrong way," Vivi said, shrinking into herself a bit when Zoro gave her an annoyed look. "I-it's in the opposite direction. Sorry, Zoro-san, please don't be annoyed with me!"

"Che." Zoro changed his course according to Vivi's directions and soon they were in the carpeted one-way hall that hadn't changed in almost two years. "This is it?"

"This is our last chance to reconsider! Reconsider! Please, Vivi, talk some sense into him!" Ussop whined.

Vivi patted Ussop on the back consolingly. "I'm sorry, Ussop-san, but it's fun."

"No it isn't! We're gonna be caught and skinned! They're gonna kill us! Haven't you heard any stories about this high school?!" Ussop shrieked and Vivi clamped her hand over his mouth.

Zoro stopped just outside of the door that would lead them into the adjoining high school building. "I'll just go in by myself, if you're too scared," Zoro said, looking boredly over his shoulder. "I figured you'd be too chicken to-"

"Now, wait one second! I'm no chicken! I'd march in there screaming my best battle cry if I felt like it!" Ussop declared, stomping over to the door and attempting to push it open. It wheezed and creaked as it gave an inch or two and Zoro snorted.

Zoro turned around and pushed the door open with his back and Ussop stumbled headlong through the doorway. "Heh. Ladies first, I guess I should say," Zoro teased, smirking.

"Hey! I coulda opened it if I wanted to," Ussop pouted. Zoro just rolled his eyes again and allowed Vivi to lead them where they needed to be.

The file cabinet drawer full of spinning tops was starting to get on his nerves as they walked through identical hallways. It wasn't really heavy, but the damn thing was an awkward shape. Zoro was pretty sure he had one-inch thick lines on his arms making a vague square shape. "Hey, how far is it?" Zoro asked irritably.

"You said the entrance, right? It's just over there," Vivi pointed to the wide open hall that led to four wooden doors without windows.

"How do you know all this, anyway? Do you visit here often?" Ussop asked Vivi, only just realizing that she knew her way around the high school.

The two of them stayed in the junction between halls while Zoro hurried over towards the doors. As Vivi was starting to answer Ussop's question, Zoro dumped out the whole box of spinning tops and they clattered to the floor and skidded around, looking like an infestation of large bugs. The sound of wood hitting tile echoed loudly and Zoro added a hollow metal thud by dropping the drawer that used to contain the tops.

"Crap! Zoro, you didn't tell us you were going to do that! That was so loud!" Ussop scolded, looking around nervously. "We need to get out of here, like, ten minutes ago!"

Zoro grinned. "Better run. I think I hear someone coming!"

oOo

"They're laaaate!" Luffy whined, rocking back and forth on his feet. He peered into the darkening halls beyond the front entrance to the elementary school, but there was still no sign of their friends.

"I wonder what they're doing," Sanji mumbled, craning his neck to look further into the empty building. "We were supposed to meet here before sunset, but it's starting to get dark."

Nami scoffed, mounting her fists on her hips. "They're wasting my time is what they're doing! Honestly! I told Ussop and Vivi to keep Zoro in line and on time!"

Several sets of distant pounding footsteps echoed strangely in the deserted building and Luffy perked up immediately at the sound. "They're coming! Finally! We've been waiting forever!" Luffy said, suddenly excited again, though he'd been complaining about being hungry and sleepy only a few minutes before.

"It sounds like they're running," Nami observed, becoming suspicious of why that might be.

"I'd try to be optimistic, but... I'm finding that very difficult just now," Sanji said, staring intently between the two branches of the hallway.

"Eh? Why? What's wrong?" Luffy asked, raising an eyebrow at the other two.

"I just have a feeling that things didn't work out how they were supposed to," Sanji answered while Nami took up aiming her mortified expression at the hallway she expected they'd come from.

The clamoring footsteps got closer and closer and Luffy was already moving to greet their friends when Ussop skidded around the corner followed closely by Vivi and then Zoro. "Go, go, go! We're being chaaaaased!" Ussop wailed, colliding with Luffy noisily.

"I just told him that so he'd hurry," Zoro panted, stopping just short of bumping into Sanji.

Vivi leaned against the wall for support as she tried to catch her breath. "S-sorry everyone! We would've been here sooner, but, hah, we got a little turned around," she explained.

From the floor, Ussop said, "No, Zoro turned us around! We were fine, but he got us lost!"

"Are you kidding?! You two were supposed to _keep_ him from getting lost!" Nami scolded, hitting Ussop over the head as if the poor boy weren't already injured enough.

"Hey, I'm not that bad!" Zoro argued and Sanji laughed through closed lips. "I'm not!" Zoro insisted.

"You guys are really late, y'know!" Luffy informed, standing up and helping Ussop up.

Vivi started telling them she already apologized for that, but then a door slammed elsewhere in the building and they all high-tailed it out of there.

*** Itee - Ouch, ow. DAMNTHATHURTSYOUSTUPIDUNICYC LE. Same difference.**

**** Daijoubu desu ka - Are you alright? Are you okay? (Google translate said to write it all as one word... It also suggested "Kegawanai desuka?" which would be closer to "you're not hurt are you?"**

**I think that's all. I felt like I used an awful lot of Japanese in this one, but I know I decided against some of it.**


	34. Slip

**Hello, all. Late, as per usual. xD I've been (relatively) busy, so gimme a break. Not that anyone was complaining... Anyway, prepare to be amazed! Something that is long overdue (by 30-ish chapters. xD) is finally hinted at! And, also, I've been spelling Usopp's name wrong...**

"Ne, Sanji-kun, can I ask you something?" Nami practically sang, hooking her arm around Sanji's and leading him off away from the rest of the group when they stopped on the second floor. Sanji looked at her strangely, but he nodded for her to go ahead. "What's going on with you and Zoro?"

"We're friends. Wait, that's your question? Didn't you know the answer to that already, Nami-san?"

"Ah-ha! You automatically answered that you're friends, even though you two fight like cats and dogs!" Nami accused, pointing a finger at Sanji.

Sanji looked around before he said, "Not to be rude, but... is that really a revelation, Nami-san? I mean, we always end up friends. And, we aren't in a fight right now, so it's fine."

"I see," Nami said, almost to herself, eyes wandering for a few seconds before she looked at Sanji again. "Well, I guess I already knew you two weren't fighting. Since you fell asleep like _that_..."

"Like what?" Sanji asked the question like he was approaching a wild animal. He had a feeling he knew what she was alluding to, but he didn't want to start defending it, because that would be the same as admitting it happened. And, he didn't mind that it happened, even though Zoro slept way longer than he did, but he had a feeling telling Nami that would come back to bite him.

Nami raised an eyebrow, calling out Sanji's deflection with her all-knowing stare. "Like, his head in your lap, the two of you stretched out and cozy like lovers. That's what you were like," Nami said, smirking when Sanji flinched at her choice of words.

"I don't think... something like that has happened," Sanji said, his eye twitching slightly. He couldn't tell whether he was repulsed or amused by her interpretation of his and Zoro's napping situation the previous afternoon. Somehow, it made his face feel hot to think about it after Nami's blunt retelling.

"You're kidding, right? You're going to deny it? I saw it with my own eyes, Sanji-kun. There's no unseeing something as cute as that!"

"C-cute?" Sanji tripped over his own foot and stumbled a bit as Nami kept walking as if nothing happened. "We aren't cute! Nami-san, I apologize, but, as a man, I find that offensive," Sanji said, pouting in a way that totally did not disprove his claim of being a man.

Nami giggled, a sort of shrill sound, and rubbed her cheek against Sanji's sleeve. "It's especially cute that you said 'we!'"

"That doesn't make any sense! What are you talking about?" Sanji asked, confused as to how the usage of "we" could make anything cuter. It was just a word, and he said it a lot. Why on earth would she say it was cute?

"Oh, Sanji-kun, you can't deny it. You like Zoro, don't you?" Nami asked, smiling the way she did when she was being devious, although Sanji didn't understand why.

"Uhh, sometimes? I don't know what kind of answer you're looking for with such random questions," Sanji said, shaking his head a little.

"Hey! Don't leave me hanging like Zoro did! You were supposed to be a fountain of information, y'know!" Nami shouted accusingly and Sanji raised his eyebrows at her. _A fountain of information? "Like Zoro did?" She's not plotting something against us, is she?_

"I don't understand, Nami. And, we passed your room a while ago. Where are you leading me, anyway?" Sanji asked innocently enough, but Nami reacted by throwing her arms up in the air, turning on her heel and stalking off muttering about having to talk to Vivi. Sanji believed that to be the most confusing conversation he'd ever had with her.

oOo

"I can't wait to see the look on his face when he gets a look at my masterful pranks! Although I'm not in his class... But, still! I will find a way!" Usopp declared, after finishing telling Luffy and Sanji about the things that he, Vivi and Zoro had done to sabotage Cabaji.

"Yeah! I want to see Buggy freak out, 'cause he's a funny clown! Although, I don't know what Nami did while we were out..." Luffy trailed off, thinking too hard on a subject Sanji believed was better left untouched. "What did she do with that hat...?"

Sanji thought quickly to change the subject. No need to dwell on something that would make Luffy upset, after all. "Hey, Usopp, that reminds me!" They gave him a look like they didn't understand what reminded him, and he really didn't understand, either. "Where did you hide those throwing knives from Buggy's classroom?"

The long nose hesitated in answering, nervously. "Well... The thing about that is, j-just... It was so long ago! Who can even remember that far back?"

"It was yesterday. Right, Luffy?"

"Huh? Yeah. Wait, Usopp hid those? But I wanted to play with them!"

"S-s-still... I hid them so well, that even I could not find them! That is an example of my awesome skills! No need to gawk, peasants, I am but a man!" Usopp announced, laughing a fake, cover-your-butt laugh.

"You lost them?" Sanji asked, and Usopp was quick to deny it, but Sanji kept going. "Nami is gonna be so ticked off. She had a plan for those, you know."

"I'm gonna die, aren't I? She's gonna kill me. It's going to be the end of the Great Usopp-sama, who met the scorn of a woman-to-be!" Usopp wailed, flopping down onto the bottom bunk of Sanji's bed and sulking about how dead he was going to be if Nami found out.

Luffy laughed, giving about as much comfort as he always did to his over-dramatic friend. "It's okay, Usopp! She won't kill you, because you're our nakama! Plus, Ace said it's illegal to kill people."

"She wouldn't be caught, you idiot! Who do you think we're talking about?! She'll murder me and get away with it!" Usopp sobbed.

oOo

Somehow, in the late hours of the night, after dinner and after stupid conversations piled on top of stupid conversations, Luffy and Usopp ended up asleep on the top and bottom bunks respectively and Sanji found himself staring up at the ceiling from the floor by the dresser. He must have dozed off at some point, he guessed, turning his head towards the window. It was completely dark outside, not a single star visible. _Definitely dozed off._

The blond pushed himself up on his elbows and looked at his friends, who were seemingly trying to compete with each other to see who could sleep in the strangest position. So far, Luffy was winning, Sanji decided, seeing as his legs were hanging off the top bunk, between the railing and the mattress.

_Where am I going to sleep...?_ Sanji frowned slightly, sitting up so that his elbows locked and his palms were flat on the floor. _I suppose I could go to one of their rooms... I wonder how hard that would be in the dark?_

Sanji didn't remember when he'd learned, perhaps during a late night trip to the bathroom, but he knew that the hall lights were turned off after a certain hour at night. The normally bright white lights in the stairwell also got shut off, around one or two in the morning, he knew, and they were off when he entered the nearly pitch black passage with a blanket wrapped around his body.

Briefly, he wondered what his chances were of surviving a steep flight of stairs in the wee hours of the morning without light, but he decided it was better not to think about that. Even if he was perfectly confident in his own grace, it never helped anything to think of failure.

Slow and steady, Sanji slid his feet across the paved steps so he wouldn't miss one and counted to the ever-annoying number of thirteen steps on his way down. He felt his way along the wall to the door and opened it with a cringe as it squeaked and squawked at him about just how quiet it had been before he tried to open the door.

Sanji slid through the smallest possible opening and walked down the hall quickly as the door sighed itself shut. He didn't know whether he was going to go to Usopp's room or Luffy's room, but he was leaning towards Luffy's. Usopp's was always a mess, and recently there'd been a weird smell. _Luffy's room it is..._ Sanji didn't pause in stride or thought when he remembered Zoro was Luffy's roommate.

The door to Luffy and Zoro's room was much quieter than the door that led onto the second floor, allowing Sanji to tiptoe in silently. Outside the window, which seemed to be in an odd place compared to the window in his own room, Sanji could see a ghostly cast of moonlight. It was just enough to determine that Zoro was on the top bunk, just as he had been when he and Sanji were roommates. Careful as he could be, Sanji climbed onto the bottom bunk with his blanket still wrapped around him. He didn't dare unwrap it, for fear of what might be in Luffy's bed.

"Luffy? Is'at you?"

Sanji jumped slightly. "Uh. Yeah."

"What the- Sanji? What are you doing in here?" Zoro shifted around on the top bunk, probably just turning over, but Sanji felt like Zoro was going to peer down at any minute.

Sanji cleared his throat quietly. "Luffy fell asleep on my bed... and Usopp fell asleep on the other bed in my room."

Zoro snorted. "Tough luck. Why did you come to my room?"

And suddenly, Sanji didn't have any words. Why did he come to Zoro's room? Was there any real reason? Should he have gone somewhere else? He probably should've, now that he thought about it. He could've just slept in the floor in his room, since he had his blanket already and he could easily get a pillow from one of the linen closets. Sanji started to move out of the bed and that's when Zoro peeked down at him.

"I don't mind. I was just asking, okay?" Zoro said in an attempt to appease Sanji, even though he must have been too tired to pick up on Sanji's mood.

"Just, 'cause," Sanji mumbled, staring right at Zoro until the older boy retreated back onto his bed. "I could-"

"If you offer to leave, I will come down there and beat you until you pass out." Sanji shut his mouth in record time.

As strange as it sounded, Sanji fell asleep quickly, his last thought before he passed out being something vague about Zoro's incorrect approach to friendliness. He didn't know why, but he was fairly certain he laughed out loud as he drifted off to sleep.

oOo

_Sanji crouched under the table, looking under each chair for something he couldn't quite remember. It was a toy, he thought, but he didn't really know. He was looking for something, that much he knew, and his mother was helping him._

_"Did you find it, yet?" her voice called from the living room. Sanji called back that he hadn't and his mother appeared in the doorway. Her long blond hair was pulled back in a messy bun, her t-shirt and below-the-knee skirt a little crooked from searching for Sanji's toy for the past twenty minutes. "Well, now, do you remember the last place you had it?"_

_"I thought I had it in here..." Sanji mumbled, getting up and dusting off his knees._

_"Did you ask your father?"_

_Sanji swallowed. "Do I have to? He scares me, mother."_

_Sanji's mother gave him the disapproving look she always gave him when he said something to discredit his father. "That's not nice, Sanji-chan. You know he's not trying to scare you. He promised me he'd be better, so we just have to believe in him," she said, smiling encouragingly. However, Sanji didn't feel encouraged._

_"I don't want to. Mother, he hurts me," Sanji told her._

_"What do you mean?" she asked, smile disappearing. As pale as she was to begin with, Sanji thought she looked paler then. "He's never laid a hand on you. He promised." She was shaking her head and she looked scared. Sanji wondered why._

_"He didn't promise me anything," Sanji said, confused. Then, he showed his mother the bruises on his arms, and then she was crying. He didn't want her to cry, so he tried to cheer her up, but she had barely stopped crying when his father came home. Sanji wondered where his father ever went, since he could hear his parents arguing and talking about his father not having a job._

_Though his mother had been sitting in the kitchen floor with him, she was suddenly in the living room, and Sanji's parents were having a shouting match, and his mother was crying again, and his father had his hands on his mother and they were shouting things he couldn't hear over his own shouts for them to stop. It was scary when his father was upset, but it was scarier when his mother was upset, because he knew she wasn't well._

_"Stop! Please, mom, you're gonna hurt yourself!"_

oOo

Sanji jolted awake and fell out of his bed into the floor, flailing limbs caught in his blanket. He landed face first on the hardwood and just stayed like that for a moment, his nose and left cheek squished to the cold floor. He had to wriggle his arms free of the blanket to push himself up to a sit, but he didn't feel like getting back into bed. He didn't think he'd get much more sleep, if any.

"Oi."

Sanji nearly jumped out of his skin, managing to knock himself over again such that he was lying on his back on the floor, looking up at Zoro's tired and confused face. Sanji put a hand over his heart and took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "Geez, Zoro! Don't scare me like that!"

"Hey, don't blame me for your crazy dreams. I wasn't the one who made you fall out of bed and taste the floor."

"I didn't- Ugh, never mind. Sorry for waking you," Sanji grumbled, climbing back into his borrowed bed and hugging his blanket tight around himself. The sun wasn't up yet, he observed, realizing he still had a few hours left alone with his memories.

"So... what were you dreaming about?" Zoro asked, shifting around on the top bunk.

"Nothing good." Sanji hoped that was enough to keep Zoro off his case, but nothing ever was.

"It sounded bad, but that doesn't mean I don't want to know. Come on, dart brow, just tell me."

"That's just it, you _don't_ want to know," Sanji said adamantly. He could practically hear Zoro roll his eyes.

"I told you, didn't I? I do want to know, so tell me about your damn nightmare!" Sanji didn't respond, so Zoro added, "I won't leave you alone until you do."

Sanji ground his teeth together. He didn't doubt Zoro would bug him to death until he cracked. Better to bypass the annoyance, he decided. "It wasn't a nightmare. Not really. It was just a bad memory. I've been remembering a lot of things since the weekend."

Unfortunately, even saying it in a vague way to a usually-slow, half-asleep Zoro, Sanji was not vague enough. "You mean when you told me I don't want to remember my parents?" Zoro asked, blunt and rude as usual.

"Y-yeah. That's what I meant," Sanji answered, squirming down into the virtual cave that he'd created with his blanket.

"What was your memory?" Zoro asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Sanji shot back, becoming slightly defensive.

"I just do. As your friend, if you'll accept that reasoning. But, you don't have to tell me."

It was an understatement to say Sanji hated that reasoning. "Okay, fine!" He took a deep breath and tried to summarize in words what had happened in his dream memory. "My mom and I were searching for something in my dream, a toy, I think. That was the day I told her about dad..." Sanji paused, wondering why he had told his mother at all. He remembered how badly it messed her up to know. "Then, dad came home and they started fighting. Not like punching and kicking, but it was scary. I think I was four or five when that happened..."

"Four? God," Zoro groaned. He moved around on his bed until Sanji saw a leg step down onto the footboard of the bottom bunk, followed by another, and then Zoro walked around into full view. "You're exaggerating, aren't you? I can't remember anything from when I was four! You can't have-"

"I remember just fine. Days, I can't do, but I'm good at knowing years. I was four or five."

"Can't you just lie, then?" Zoro snapped, flinging his arm in what was probably the vaguest aggressive gesture Sanji had ever seen.

"Why... Why would I do that? You asked me to tell you about my nightma-"

"Not if it's that bad! I don't want to know that your old man was hurting you when you were only this big!" Zoro held his hand up at his hip to demonstrate. "I don't need that mental image, okay?!"

"What mental image? I was only barely nine when I got here! It's not that much of a stretch!"

"It is to me!"

"Fine, then! I was eight when that happened, happy now? I hope I've proved my point about your past," Sanji said moodily, sitting up and frowning at Zoro.

"You haven't! Of course I would rather be at the dojo than have your crappy past-" Zoro stopped abruptly, looking surprised. Sanji didn't immediately understand why, until he thought over Zoro's words. Then, he became confused.

"Dojo? You were raised in a dojo?" Sanji asked tentatively.

Zoro cursed under his breath, turning around and pacing to the end of the bed and climbing up. "Go to sleep!"

**Were there any translations I needed to do? I don't really think so... Anyway, wasn't that awesome?! I finally did something! Now I just have a Bug to squash before I bring in my ultimate plan... xD**

**Isn't the review button looking pretty today? Click it, that makes it happy~**


	35. Sick

**This chapter's a bit all over the place, in my eyes, but it's also a good one. The next one will, perhaps, be better, but this is what I've got for now. It is my proverbial bridge to where I want to be in the story. ;D Also, laying the foundation for several other proverbial bridges. I'm an architect, all of the sudden. O_O**

Sanji stared at Zoro across the breakfast table, trying to communicate what he wanted to ask with his brainwaves. So far, it wasn't working. Zoro hadn't looked at him much and had acted like nothing happened. But, something definitely happened. And Sanji wasn't about to just let it go.

Zoro's behavior persisted on the walk to school, even though it was only him and Sanji hanging back. If he wasn't deflecting, he was completely ignoring Sanji. It was getting old fast. Sanji was tempted to resort to asking the others, but he wanted to hear it from Zoro. It wouldn't be the same if he asked Luffy or Nami or anyone. It wouldn't be as meaningful if it wasn't Zoro's choice to tell him.

"Hey... You really didn't mean to say that back there, did you? The thing about a dojo," Sanji asked, leaning forward to look at Zoro's face, which remained stubbornly blank.

"Wonder how my ideas will be received by the high school this morning."

"Stop doing that! I only want to know the answer to that one question!" Sanji scolded, matching Zoro's pace as the older boy tried to get away.

"No," Zoro answered firmly, catching up to Luffy and jumping into a conversation with him and Usopp. Zoro looked over his shoulder at Sanji, who made sure to frown and look away so Zoro knew he was upset at him. By no means was Sanji about to give up.

Sanji trailed behind the other boys, keeping an ear on the conversation in case it went from toilet-oriented jests to something interesting. He wondered where the girls were as they arrived at the school, only vaguely recalling Nami's goodbye as she dragged Vivi out of the orphanage early in the morning. They must have been getting a head start on finding the missing throwing knives, but Sanji couldn't say for sure.

"Hey, you!" A teacher pointed to Luffy and Zoro as they were stepping inside the school building. "You two, the principal wants to see you."

"Just us?" Zoro asked, questioning.

"Are we gonna miss our first class?" Luffy asked, excitedly.

"Yes, just you two, and hopefully, no," the teacher answered impatiently, gesturing jerkily for them to follow him. The boys all exchanged looks, and then Luffy shrugged and skipped off after the teacher like the sudden audience with the principal was not at all foreboding.

Zoro sighed. "I don't think this is going to go well," he grumbled, following after Luffy with a significantly smaller amount of pep in his step.

As their friends disappeared in the crowd, Usopp leaned towards Sanji and asked shakily, "Do you think someone saw them?"

Sanji huffed. "I have no idea."

oOo

Before anyone was even seated, a teacher that no one recognized interrupted timid Merry-sensei on his way into the classroom. The woman introduced herself only as a teacher from the high school next door and stood in front of the teacher's desk. Usopp and Sanji shared a look as she began to speak.

"Don't look so confused, children, it's only routine to do this," the teacher lady said, crossing her arms under her bust. "Every class is being interrupted right now by a representative of the high school in a very important matter. Follow?"

Several children looked at each other, then back at the strange teacher woman. "Yesterday after school hours, or last night, or early this morning, someone broke in to the high school and dumped a box of spinning tops in the entryway. As a result, three students, a teacher and a janitor are all injured."

"Oh, crap," Usopp whispered, looking nervously at Sanji who was looking right back. "Zoro," he mouthed. Sanji rolled his eyes and put a hand to his forehead. Of course it was Zoro.

"We're simple trying to figure out if it was one of you snotty little short stacks over here. So, do any of you know who is responsible? We need to find whoever it is and punish them. If you know anything, you need to tell me now, or come to the administrations office in this building after classes have ended." The teacher lady leaned back and scanned the room with slightly narrowed eyes.

Sanji raised his hand and stood up when the teachers looked at him. "I know who did it," he announced plainly.

"S-Sanji! What are you doing?! You can't say that! Don't-"

"It's Cabaji-sensei, from the middle school."

Usopp halted in his bumbling. He took a second to process what he heard before he stood as well, raising his hand high. "He's not lying! Our friend is in that guy's class and he's told us all about it!"

The teacher lady raised an eyebrow. "A teacher? You can't expect me to believe that."

"But, it's true! He rides a unicycle in class and throws spinning tops at his students! The guy is crazy!" Usopp defended. A few children called him out on his reputation for lying, but Sanji came to his defense.

"No, it's for real. I mean, have you seen that guy? His head is stripy, and he dresses like he's from the circus," Sanji said, going on only what Zoro had told them. The teacher lady seemed to be believing him, especially when Merry-sensei and some of the students started to agree with what he was saying. "There's really no telling what he wouldn't do."

"Hmm." The teacher lady pushed away from the desk and walked out of the classroom. "That's all I need. Thanks, brat."

A minute or so after she'd left, Merry-sensei dabbed at his face and neck with a handkerchief. "My, my. That was surely strange, wasn't it, children?"

But, the action was not set to stop there. Sanji and Usopp were sure they wouldn't have any more classes interrupted since the teacher lady got the information she needed. But, as soon as they'd walked into their second class, Buggy had screamed at them for accusing his friend and had rummaged through his desk drawers in search of what Usopp announced loudly were his "knives for skinning children." Needless to say, shortly after the manic screamfest began, a counselor came and declared it a free period and took Buggy, Usopp, Sanji and Luffy, who had only just shown up again, away.

The boys had no time to talk about what had happened first thing that morning when Luffy and Zoro had been called to the principal's office. Usopp and Sanji got to hear about how Nami came to rescue Luffy and Zoro just before their second classes by telling the heads of the school that there was a large, mean cat belonging to one of their janitors in a storage closet, making a stink. They had to share on "oh" moment with that realization. So, that was what she was doing.

Miss Olivia, the white-haired counselor from another island that was only employed at the school for a few more weeks before she was set to leave, sat down in a brown leather chair and looked expectantly at the children and adult before her. "Would you like to explain yourselves before I speak with the principal?"

"Oh, come on! I'm a teacher here, I can't get in trouble like this!" Buggy shouted. "It's against school policy, isn't it?!"

"It's also against your school policy, if I am not mistaken, to keep animals in the building," Miss Olivia said, showing an enigmatic smile. "It is merely a friendly suggestion, Doukeno-san, that you shut your mouth."

To the boys' surprise, Buggy complied and Luffy asked, "Why are we here?"

Miss Olivia smiled at him, much friendlier than how she was with Buggy. "You are here because your teacher was making some very serious and very loud allegations. As well as little Long Nose-kun here shouting about some rather unsavory things..."

Usopp swallowed audibly. "B-but, it's true! He was going to skin us and-"

Miss Olivia held up a hand, stopping Usopp. "What makes you think that, little Long Nose-kun?"

Usopp clamped his chattering teeth together, inching himself between Sanji and Luffy so that he was safe from the fuming Buggy beside them. But, he didn't say anything, so Sanji said, "We saw some-"

"A lot," Luffy interjected.

Sanji glanced at him sideways. "We saw a _lot_ of throwing knives in Clown- I mean, Doukeno-sensei's desk."

"What did you just call me?! Did you hear that, Miss Olivia?! That kid just called me a clown!"

Miss Olivia directed her all-knowing eyes at Buggy once more, shutting him up. A smile pulled at her lips as she said, "Perhaps it is the make-up, Doukeno-san."

While Buggy reacted badly with sputtering and curses, Sanji snickered, Usopp paled and Luffy stated bluntly, "No, it's his nose. See? It's big and red like a clown's."

"You brat! Stop making fun of my nose! It's completely normal, ya hear?!" Buggy shrieked, pointing at his completely abnormal nose. "This is ridiculous! Tell me these children will be punished for their crimes?!"

The counselor sat back in her seat, an eyebrow arched up. "Do share what 'crimes' these children have committed."

"They went through my desk and they're probably the ones who vandalized my classroom! And, haven't you heard the evil things these children say about my nose?! Plus, they accused my friend Cabaji of dumping those child's toys in the high school, which is a lie!" Buggy yelled, pointing accusatorially at Luffy, who blinked in his uncannily innocent way.

Miss Olivia did not look impressed. "Children, have you vandalized this man's classroom?" she asked seriously.

Usopp raised his hand quickly. "I didn't!"

"That's right, he was with-"

"Luffy. Just answer yes or no," Sanji said, interrupting him before Zoro or Vivi were pulled into the ludicrous meeting. "I didn't vandalize the classroom."

Miss Olivia nodded at Usopp and Sanji, then looked at Luffy. "And, what about you, young man?"

For a long moment, Sanji and Usopp were worried Luffy wouldn't, or rather, couldn't, lie. He'd never been very good at it, after all. Perhaps he wouldn't get past Miss Olivia, or even Buggy, since he seemed to think they were the culprits. Then, Luffy took a deep breath and asked, "What does vandalize mean?"

Miss Olivia laughed through closed lips behind her hand. "It is not important. You three may go. Doukeno-san, I need to speak with you further on this matter."

oOo

Vivi looked around the halls, trying to find her way to the class she was supposed to be in twenty minutes ago. She couldn't believe she'd gotten lost, even after Nami had told her all the tricks to getting around in the school. It seemed that Zoro's lack of direction was contagious.

"U-um... Is anyone here?" Vivi asked. All she got in return was the echo of her footsteps. She held her hands up by her chest like she was clutching Carue as she looked around for the right classroom. "I hope this place isn't haunted like Usopp-san said."

A door slammed somewhere in the building and Vivi just about jumped out of her skin, involuntarily screaming at the top of her lungs. "Wh-who's there?!" Vivi squeaked, squishing the breath out of her imaginary duck.

Two voices were conversing animatedly about something "completely unacceptable" and "against school rules and maybe the law" as they came closer. Vivi was considering hiding somewhere when two unfamiliar teachers in a serious discussion turned down the hallway and spotted her. "Are you lost?" one of them asked.

"I- uh, no- Yes, I mean- A bit. I don't know!" Vivi stumbled over her words, looking up at the teachers as they approached, one of them holding what looked to be a desk drawer under his arm. "I'm really sorry for missing class, but I was helping my friend and then she left to go do something else and I-"

"Whoa, calm down, kid," the teacher holding the drawer said, putting up his hands as best he could in a peaceful gesture. "What classroom are you supposed to be in right now? We could probably tell you the way," he said, looking questioningly at the other teacher who just shrugged.

"U-um. Well, maybe Doukeno-sensei's class?" Vivi suggested, looking nervously at the drawer under the one teacher's arm. She knew she didn't have Buggy's class until after lunch, but that box looked so darn familiar and she sensed an opportunity to do something that Nami would definitely approve of.

The teachers exchanged a look. "Doukeno who?"

"Buggy-san."

The teachers exchanged another, more intrigued look. The teacher holding the drawer looked at it's contents, then back at Vivi. "Do you know... if that Buggy guy is _missing_ anything?"

Vivi looked down, swallowing a smile. "Well, yes. He did... he did cause quite a stink the other day about his missing..."

"Missing what?"

"Uhh. Knives," Vivi answered timidly.

The teachers exchanged yet another look, one that Vivi wasn't exactly sure on the meaning of, but it was something that made her smile. She had a sneaking suspicion that things were going exactly as planned, even though Nami hadn't thought so. The man holding the drawer of knives leaned down and tipped the drawer towards Vivi. "Just to be sure, do you know if these are the right knives?"

Vivi peered at the knives, clutching the hand she'd accidentally cut with one of those knives as close to her chest as possible, just in case. As she pretended to examine the blades, she caught sight of one with an engraved hilt, claiming it was property of Buggy the Clown. "Yes, sir. Those are exactly the ones," Vivi said, shivering and taking a step back.

"What's the matter?"

"It's just-" Vivi added one of the dramatic pauses that Usopp seemed so fond of. "Could you... _not_ return those knives to Doukeno-sensei?"

"Why not?"

_You have to give information and show restraint at the same time. Don't just blurt anything you want. Give them the proper hints, then leave them to think on it. That works more often then just flat out saying it. _Nami's voice instructed inside Vivi's head. It had been confusing advice when she'd first received it, but she was beginning to understand as she spoke her next words. "I- Well, it's just that-" she paused to look down at her hand that she was clutching so thoroughly to her chest. "Please don't!" Vivi bowed quickly and then ran off as fast as she could, holding in her giggles with both hands.

oOo

"So, why did you get called to the principal's office earlier? Did someone see you?" Sanji asked, as they all were walking home from school. At lunch, they hadn't had much time to talk, since there was a big commotion going on with Buggy and Cabaji screaming about being framed, as well as Mohji the janitor siccing his giant, evil cat on people. It was quite a scene.

"Nah. Buggy and Cabaji tattled on us," Luffy answered, shrugging.

"The principal didn't really believe them, though, he just wanted them to shut up," Zoro said.

Nami scoffed, tossing her hair back even though it wasn't in her face. "You two are idiots. Didn't you see that you were gonna be punished? I saved both your hides. You should be thanking me!"

"Oh? I think we would've been okay. But, thanks, Nami!" Luffy chirped, grinning at her.

"That's more like it. Zoro?"

"I'll pass."

Vivi and Sanji laughed at the face Nami made, while Usopp and Luffy looked worried for Zoro. "What did you say? You already owe me four-hundred and eighty thousand beli, do you want to add to that?" Nami threatened.

"... No, thanks," Zoro grumbled, glaring at Nami.

The redhead smirked. "Good boy. Now, would anyone like to tell me what happened to get Buggy and Cabaji canned? I was still working on my plan when they were kicked out."

Vivi raised her hand. "I'm sorry you didn't get to go through with your plan, Nami-san. I didn't mean to do-"

"You did it?" Nami, Usopp and Sanji said, all at once.

"Of course she did! Vivi's awesome!" Luffy said, seriously.

"Th-thank you, Luffy-san," Vivi squeaked, blushing bright red. Everyone listened in astonishment and amusement as Vivi recounted what had happened earlier when she'd gotten lost and run across the two teachers, apparently from the high school, that had found Buggy's knives.

"Wow, that was really lucky," Usopp commented, giving Vivi a literal pat on the back.

"Did you teach Vivi your _people skills_, Nami?" Zoro asked, sarcastically.

Nami was rubbing her forehead under her bangs tiredly, only looking up a few seconds after Zoro spoke. "Huh? Were you talking to me?"

The others all looked at her, except Luffy, who was merrily walking along out in front of their whole entourage. "Nami-san, are you feeling okay?" Sanji asked.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired. All this saving Zoro and Luffy's useless butts business is making me sleepy," Nami answered, sticking her tongue out at Zoro and smirking when he glared at her. Everyone accepted her excuse, knowing Luffy and Zoro could be quite a handful, and they all made their way back to the orphanage without incident.

But, not three feet inside the door, Nami collapsed, completely unconscious and running a fever. The lady at the reception desk hurried off to get the nurses while Luffy and the others tried to wake Nami, but it didn't work.

The day's victory lay forgotten in a corner as a flurry of nurses and one stretcher disappeared behind a stark white door inside the orphanage.

**I wonder if you can guess what's going to happen next? Actually, no, scratch that. I don't want you to think of it before I do. ;P**


	36. Evil Kitty

**Cutting to the chase, for once, here it is.**

Nurses scurried in and out of the infirmary, wiping their foreheads or their cheeks as they hurried to grab whatever the nurse in charge was demanding. The boys and Vivi hung around outside the infirmary, still as nervous as they were a week and a half ago when Nami was first realized to be sick. The nurses chided them about getting to school on time, but they were still reluctant to leave. Nami had only regained consciousness a few times and it didn't seem like she was getting any better, so of course they would want to stay.

"Makino!" Luffy flagged the caretaker down and ran over to her as his friends made their way to the door. Confusedly, the others watched over their shoulders.

"Ara? What is it, Luffy-chan? Is something the matter?"

"Are you getting a doctor for Nami?!" Luffy inquired loudly.

Makino's eyebrows rose. "How did you know that, Luffy-chan? The decision was only made this morning."

"Is she gonna get better soon?!" Luffy asked, looking up at Makino seriously. Usopp, Zoro, Sanji and Vivi exchanged looks.

"Luffy-chan." Makino smiled, albeit sadly. "I don't know. When the doctor gets here, we'll ask them, okay?"

Luffy frowned, pouting slightly. "If the doctor gets here while we're at school, come get us!" he demanded, causing more than one passing volunteer to look his way. "You have to, Makino! She's our nakama!"

The caretaker sighed. "I'll see what I can do. But, you've got to be _in_ school before I can get you _out_ of school." Makino gave Luffy a smile as she resumed whatever she'd been doing before he interrupted and the raven-haired boy had to accept that as that.

oOo

"Guys! Guysguysguysguys!" Usopp practically tackled the table, climbing into the seat on his knees and panting. "It's awful! Have I told you guys about my teacher, er, the one with the glasses?"

"What, the one that your girlfriend likes?" Luffy asked.

Zoro snorted. "Usopp has a girlfriend?"

"That's the one you have right before lunch, right?" Vivi asked, handing a juicebox to Usopp, who accepted it with profuse thanks.

"You complain about that guy all the time. Shitsuji, right?" Sanji watched with a slightly disapproving expression as Usopp noisily drank the bottom out of the juicebox Vivi had so politely given him.

Usopp exhaled loudly after finishing the juice. "Yeah! Well, no; he's not actually a butler. I only call him that because he dresses like that and sometimes acts like it concerning Kaya- but that's beside the point! What I mean to say is, that guy is off his rocker!"

"Eh? He has a rocking chair?"

"Luffy, it's a figure of speech."

"What do you mean 'off his rocker?'"

"Usopp-san, is now really a good time for that...?"

Usopp gawked. "F- Ch- guys! Of course now's a good time for it, Vivi! We're all good at getting rid of teachers that are better suited to being super villains, right!?" The attention of dozens of students flickered to their table and away again a moment later. "Besides, Neko-sensei is as evil as they come!"

Luffy threw his head back and laughed. "You have a cat teacher?" he asked, apparently excited by the idea. "How come a walrus teacher is crazy, but a cat teacher is okay?"

"Because walruses couldn't fit through the doors- but, that's not the point! He's not actually a cat, he just kind of... acts like one. Like evil, holier-than-thou, ate-the-canary type of thing. He's really creepy," Usopp explained, gesticulating wildly for all the good it would do him.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You see all that in _cats_? You need to get your head checked, long nose."

"Cats can be kind of evil," Vivi mumbled in wonder.

"What's wrong with your cat-but-not-actually-a-cat-sensei? Specifically," Sanji asked.

"Does he have a tail?!" Luffy questioned seriously.

Usopp was getting frustrated. "Ugh, no! Luffy, he's not a real cat, and yes, Zoro, cats are evil. But, more importantly, he and his secret crew are plotting something against Kaya! They're going to hurt her, I know it!"

"But, she's in your grade, isn't she?" Vivi asked, acutely mortified. Beside her, Sanji stared off into space with wide eyes and Vivi patted him on the arm comfortingly. "He couldn't really do anything to her, could he? I mean, the school wouldn't hire someone like that, right?"

"Ne, Ussop, isn't that just a lie?" Luffy asked, sounding disappointed. "I don't think that would happen."

"It's not a lie! I swear he's evil!" Usopp shouted, getting genuinely upset. More sets of eyes were magnetized to their lively conversation. "Why don't you guys believe me?!"

Zoro shooshed him loudly. "Quiet down, idiot! Isn't there an end to what you'll lie about?"

"What if he's not lying?" Sanji suggested, immediately earning thanks and "I told you"s from Usopp. "It's not completely farfetched, considering the teachers we've had."

"Well, that would be fun to get rid of another teacher right now," Luffy said, making his thinky face. "Only, Nami wouldn't be able to help."

Vivi gasped, just realizing that fact herself. "That's right! We can't do that without her! Wouldn't that be unfair?"

"But what about Kaya? Am I supposed to just sit back and wait until Nami decides to get better?" Usopp asked, registering a little late how cruel that sounded towards Nami. "She's... she's gonna be kidnapped. Aren't you guys gonna help me?"

"Usopp, circus rejects are one thing, but a kidnapper?" Zoro shook his head. "There's a big difference."

"I'm telling you, I'm not lying!"

"Leave him alone, Marimo," Sanji said, narrowing his eyes at Zoro. "We have to at least check it out before we assume anything." Usopp started to argue again that he really wasn't lying, but Sanji interrupted him. "And I'm not saying that I don't believe you. It's just a certain animal over there that doesn't believe you."

"Hey!" Zoro glared at Sanji.

"I've made my decision!" Luffy announced after a surprising minute or two of silence. "We're going to go see this cat guy! If I hear anything about a kidnapping, I'll take care of him myself."

"Really?" Usopp looked gratefully at Luffy who grinned and nodded.

"Of course. What's this guy's name, anyway?"

Usopp swallowed. "K-Kurahadol."

oOo

"I can't believe this," Zoro grumbled, hands in his pockets as he headed begrudgingly towards the designated meeting spot, outside of the teacher's lounge on the first floor. From behind him, Sanji gave more than occasional corrections on Zoro's directional sense.

"You'd be doing the world more good if you jumped rope for the rest of your life," Sanji commented, digging around in his bag. "You should know just to listen to Luffy when he decides these things."

"Shut up, dartbrow. I trust Luffy's judgement."

"Then, why? Don't you trust Usopp?" Sanji inquired, slinging his bag over his shoulder and walking up beside Zoro.

Zoro glanced at Sanji, who was hardly paying any attention to where they were going. "Frankly, no. He's a chronic liar and his wild imagination is about to get him punched in the throat."

As they walked through the partially empty halls of the middle school, Zoro decided very quickly that either Sanji hadn't heard him or he was upset about something because Sanji did not respond. Zoro looked over at Sanji a few more times when he hadn't given directions in a while. The blond was just fiddling with his shirt, not even watching where he was going.

_He's going to make me ask, isn't he?_ "Umm... Are we going the right way?" Zoro asked, turning his head away from Sanji and watching some random student pass by.

"Huh?" Sanji looked around and Zoro was sure he looked at him, then he said, "Oh, turn left at this next corner. Then go down the stairs." And he said nothing else. Not a snide remark about Zoro's sense of direction. Not anything. Something was on his mind.

"What are you thinking about?" Zoro asked, more than somewhat reluctant. Sometimes it didn't hurt to peek inside Sanji's mind, but sometimes it scared the hell out of him to know what went on in there. After the odd scene at lunch, he was definitely scared to know what Sanji was thinking about.

Sanji looked up from picking at his shirt again, then immediately looked away from Zoro. "Nothing you want to hear."

Zoro frowned. "How the hell do you know?"

"I just know," Sanji said, glancing at Zoro out of the corner of his eye. "You won't like to hear what I've been thinking about."

"I asked, didn't I?"

Sanji shook his head. "That only means you don't know. I won't tell you."

"Hey-" Zoro was interrupted by Sanji's reiterating that he should take a left. "Would you tell me if I brought it up in front of the others?"

"That's not like you. You wouldn't do that to me," Sanji said confidently.

"Wouldn't I? I have a feeling this has something to do with your past and I already said I wanted to know about that," Zoro said, looking seriously at Sanji as they passed a small group of middle school kids on the stairs.

"If you want to hear about mine, you have to tell me about yours," Sanji told him, looking straight ahead.

Zoro clenched his jaw. "You're a persistent curly-brow, aren't you?"

"No more than you are a persistent seaweed."

Zoro remained silent the rest of the trip to the teacher's lounge, which was made in a bit of a hurry, since the teachers probably wouldn't hang around too long on a Friday. Usopp had said he would show them how Kurahadol really was after school, but Zoro doubted they would make it in time. He didn't particularly care, anyway.

"Finally, you're here!" Luffy groaned, alerting Usopp, who was peering through a window into the teacher's lounge.

"Just in time!" Usopp whispered loudly. "Where's Vivi?"

The blue-haired girl appeared around the corner and hurried over as quickly as she could without making a racket with her sandals. "Here! Sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything?"

"No, you're fine. Perfect timing, actually," Ussop said quietly, peeking through the window again. "According to my research-"

"Usopp, have you been stalking this guy?" Zoro interrupted, scrunching up his nose a little. Sanji smacked his arm, but he didn't retract the question, or the put out expression.

Usopp, however, didn't seem to mind much. "I've been expertly spying. There's a difference. Now, my disciples should be arriving soon to fill you in fully," Usopp informed, looking to the left, then the right, and then peeking through the slightly ajar passage into the teacher's lounge. "I hope they only use that back entrance..."

"Whoa, you have disciples?!" Luffy gasped, far too loud in the quickly quieting building.

"He always calls us his disciples, so maybe they're just his friends," Sanji suggested, shrugging. "There's really no telling with Usopp."

"No, no, no. These guys are actually disciples. They follow my instructions, as I am their Captain!" Usopp said, striking a pose that he probably assumed made him look like a Captain. Zoro just thought he looked like a monkey with a long nose.

"I've never seen any disciples of yours," Vivi said, tilting her head to the side to think. "Are they in your class with Mr. Cat?"

Usopp shook his head. "No, they're in third grade. And, he's not a cat! I already told you, he's just an evil guy."

Just then, a door opened nearby and Usopp shooshed them all silently, peering through the window again. "It's them!" he whispered, waving his hand for the others to move. "Get to the side so they can't see you, but you can still hear them!"

"This is really fun!" Luffy whispered as quietly as he could, crouching beside Usopp under the window. Vivi crouched on Luffy's other side and nodded in agreement, covering her mouth with a hand as she giggled.

"How can this be fun?" Zoro asked, crouching on the other side of the doorway nonetheless. Sanji knelt beside Zoro and gave him another disapproving look, gesturing for him to be quiet at the same time.

From inside the teacher's lounge, Zoro could hear a rather loud voice talking about something that didn't quite make sense. "Heh, you know they're getting impatient, don'tcha? Those guys are ready to get paid, Captain."

"Of course they are." Usopp pointed to the door and mouthed "that's him." A shadow passed in front of the window and the children held their breath. "I expected they would not put up with a long-term plan such as this. However, it is almost complete. You can tell them to calm themselves and be ready."

"Oh? Ready for what? Is it almost time?"

"Yes. The opportunity has arisen and if we wait it out, there will only be more obstacles next time." A sound like water pouring into a cup filled the brief silence. "I only have one loose end to burn before we go."

"Alright. If you want me to tell them, that's fine. You're the man with the plan, and I'm the man with the van." A laugh and then, "So, we're takin' this kid to that old dock, right?"

"I've told you that a hundred times, at least." That voice, the one Usopp had pointed out as the evil neko-teacher, did not sound amused by the other's joking. "Have them get everything prepared for when we arrive, including precautionary staff at the school."

Zoro frowned. They were hiring people for the school? That didn't make any sense with what they were saying. Although he couldn't say for sure that they were planning a kidnapping, he didn't think they were planning any kind of innocent school trip.

"You got it. I hope Ojou-chan's fortune is as good as you said it would be."

There was a pause that made the children more nervous than they had been. Then, the lowered, malicious voice of the man Usopp called evil aked, "Do you not believe me, Jango?"

"N-no, sir! I believe you, Captain, I was just-"

"Because, if you doubt me, know that no one is irreplaceable."

"No, Captain Kuro!" All the kids sitting outside the room looked at Usopp, with the exception of Usopp himself, who frowned and shook his head. He had no idea where "Captain Kuro" came from. "I'll go tell the others! Believe me, Captain, I don't doubt you a bit!" A small, nervous laugh. "I was only thinking about the payout, sir, not questioning you!"

"Good. Now, go, before I decide you've outstayed your usefulness."

"Yes, Captain!"

Several sets of footsteps thundered down the hall, tripping and skidding and making all kinds of noise. "Captain Usopp, Captain Usopp!" A chorus of young voices shouted, making every child squatting outside the teacher's lounge jump and exchange alarmed looks.

Suddenly, the door was wide open and in the doorway stood a man with heart-shaped sunglasses, long, unbrushed brown hair, a strange, striped beard and the blankest look on his face. "Huh...? K-kids? How long have you brats been sitting here?!"

For a minute, they all continued to crouch, staring wide-eyed up at the extremely odd man in the doorway as the loud footsteps got closer. "Well?! Answer me!" the odd man snapped. Another man, one with gelled black hair, circular glasses and a severe expression appeared behind the first man. Usopp squeaked in a very manly way and hid behind Luffy.

"Take care of them, Jango," the severe man said, glaring hard at Usopp. "We wouldn't want a bunch of kids running around blabbering about our plans so soon before they take place."

Luffy stood up, urging Vivi and Usopp with him. "It's time to run!" he said, grinning mischievously.

"No kidding!" Zoro stood quickly, gesturing every which way. "Go!"

"O-oi, hold on a minute, there, you brats!" The man called Jango reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a metal ring on a chain, but no one stuck around to see what he was going to do with it. The children ran, Sanji and Zoro in one direction, Luffy, Vivi and Usopp in another. Jango seemed torn on who to follow for a second before he started running after the group of three. "When I say 'one, two, Jango!' you will forget everything you heard! One... Two... Ja-"

"Captain Uso- Oh, no! It's Jango!" A group of three younger children skidded to a stop only a few feet in front of the ones being pursued by Jango, then turned and ran. "He's gonna hypnotize usssss!"

"Not if you interrupt me, you stupid brats! Now, be quiet and stand still so I can-"

"Blah blah blah blah!" Luffy and Usopp shouted loudly, one grinning, the other terrified.

"STOP THAT!" Jango held out his metal ring to try again, but they didn't stop shouting, and the ones who weren't shouting were covering their ears. "Fine, then! Who's gonna believe a bunch of kids, anyway?" Jango shouted after them, out of breath and stamina. He could only hope that Captain Kuro didn't find out about that.

oOo

Vivi peeked over her shoulder, saw that Jango was no longer after them and promptly collapsed against the wall. "Everyone... Jango-san has... stopped chasing us," she said between deep breaths. Luffy, Usopp and the three boys resembling vegetables stopped and collapsed in various places and positions in the empty school hallway.

"Thank God!" Usopp gasped, rolling over onto his back where he'd fallen in the floor.

After a few minutes of relative silence and little to no movement, Luffy sat up and asked, "Hey, guys? Where's Sanji and Zoro?"

**Ahh, I know I didn't put an asterisk, since I figured people would just know, but "Ojou-chan" means "young lady" or something similar. Anyway, who's excited for what's to come? ;D**


	37. Doctor

**Don't think me strange, but I cannot wait to get to 40 for no reason other than to have the chapter number end with a 0. .**

"But, it's your fault, idiot-brow!"

"You were the one leading the way!"

"Well, you're the one who let me!"

Luffy, Vivi and Usopp exchanged grinning looks. They had been looking for their friends with the assistance of the Usopp pirates, Onion, Carrot and Pepper. It seemed like they were close as the less-than-quiet insults echoed in the hall.

"Guys, come on!" Luffy shouted, hands cupped around his mouth. "We're going to see Nami!"

"We're coming if this dumbbell doesn't get us lost between here and the next turn!" Sanji called back.

There was an exclaimation of pain followed by a snicker, then Zoro shouted, "I'll get there, but I make no promises about the dartboard!"

The Usopp pirates looked scared, but Luffy, Usopp and Vivi giggled. It was normal, better than it had been of late, that their friends were threatening each other and exchanging insults. It was, perhaps, a good sign.

"I hope that the doctor has arrived," Vivi mumbled thoughtfully as they waited for Sanji and Zoro.

"Well, I don't," Luffy huffed, crossing his arms and puffing out his cheeks. "I want to be there when the doctor gets there so I can tell if they're good or bad! I don't want Nami to be in the hands of a quack!"

Usopp laughed. "Where did you learn that term?"

"Mah... I'm not sure. I think I heard it from Shanks," Luffy said, tilting his head in thought. "But, it's the right word, isn't it? I don't want a duck pretending to be a doctor taking care of Nami."

Vivi and Usopp giggled while the vegetable trio just looked confused. "Luffy-san, that's not exactly what that means," Vivi said, gesturing delicately to a spot in the air. "But, I suppose I know what you're saying. I don't think the orphanage staff would be willing to change doctors if the doctor that shows up is bad, though."

"Why not?" Luffy asked with the kind of conviction no one ever expected him to have, especially at his age.

"Because doctors are expensive, and the orphanage is cheap," Usopp explained simply. "But, they wouldn't bring in anybody bad in the first place."

"That's probably right," Vivi conceded.

"My mom's probably getting worried," Carrot whispered loudly. Pepper and Onion nodded vigorously in agreement and chattered amongst themselves.

After a minute or two of indiscreet whispering, Usopp cleared his throat, interrupting them. "Now, then," he began, puffing out his chest and looking in the vague direction of his crew. "Things are slow for the time being. We can reconvene at a later date, my disciples, and share our knowledge. For now, you may go before your families grow suspicious."

"Yes, Captain Usopp!" the three of them shouted in unison and took off running towards the exit with questionable coordination.

Not a moment later, Sanji and Zoro came round the corner arguing quietly and elbowing each other at regular intervals. "Good, you're here. Hurry up, guys, c'mon!" Luffy ushered, waving his hand in a "come here" motion.

"We're coming, already, geez," Zoro grumbled.

"Do you think Nami-san will be awake when we get home?" Sanji asked, as they rejoined the group.

Vivi nodded. "I hope so. I think that would mean that she is getting better."

"Not if she needs more rest," Usopp said and suddenly Luffy was surprised and agreeing.

"That's right! If she needs sleep, she needs to sleep!" Luffy exclaimed, walking determinedly away. The others followed in mixed giggles and confusion, not exactly following Luffy's line of thought.

oOo

"Nami, we're home!" Luffy announced, dropping his backpack on the floor of the infirmary and skipping over to Nami's bedside. Several nurses shooshed him loudly as they moved around the stark white room tending to the half-dozen or so patients.

"Luffy, you need to be quiet. Even unconscious people get headaches," Usopp said, taking up a stool beside Luffy on Nami's right.

Vivi came into the room shaking her head. "Zoro-san and Sanji-kun are being held up in the lobby for arguing, again," she said, stepping up onto the side of an empty bed to give herself a boost onto the stool on Nami's left. "We ought to take our bags up to our rooms and try to calm them so they can come in, too."

"Alright..." Luffy pouted slightly, looking around. "Baa-chan!"* he called, addressing one of the nurses. "Is Nami's doctor here yet?"

The nurse scoffed loudly. "And I suppose I should tell you something like that? If the doctor were here, believe me, you'd know," she said, annoyed.

"Hmm. Alright, then, come on, Usopp," Luffy said, sliding off his chair and hurrying to scoop his bag up off the floor. "If we go fast, we won't miss anything down here. Vivi, you can stay with Nami, I'll get your bag."

"Oh, thank you." Vivi handed over her bag and Luffy and Usopp left her to converse with Nami's sleeping form.

Sanji and Zoro met them outside the infirmary, still bickering animatedly about something that Luffy and Usopp kept asking about with no results. Zoro seemed angry and more into the argument, but Sanji was irritated as well, to the point that he almost got off the stairs on the second floor with the rest of them. When he left for the third floor, Luffy made his inquiries.

"Ne, Zoro, what did you do this time?"

"Me?! Why me? He started it!" Zoro protested, shoving his hands in his pockets roughly. "It's his damn fault."

Luffy looked at Zoro with a blank but serious look. "That may be. But, I have a feeling that you'll be the one to go too far. Don't start a big fight, Zoro, just let it go."

Zoro and Usopp's jaws dropped. "Where did _that_ come from?" Usopp asked.

"What do you mean? I just talked," Luffy said, returning to normal after his rather insightful advice. "I was only saying what I thought."

Still recovering from the shock of Luffy's insanely smart little blurb, Zoro struggled to find what he meant to say. "Well, uh... I mean, he's the reason that I'm mad _and _the reason that he's mad. It's his fault that we're fighting, I'm only trying to resolve it."

"Well, what are you fighting about?"

"Tch. Everything stupid under the sun. He's too curious, but he won't give me any answers himself."

"You're good at not actually answering," Usopp observed, then leaning over and whispering something to Luffy that made his eyes widen.

"Whaaat?" Luffy said, glancing over his shoulder at Zoro. "Won't give you answers about what?"

Zoro grit his teeth, considering. They would probably side with Sanji unless he swung it just right. And, he couldn't not answer, not for much longer. "About his past. He's been asking me about mine," Zoro said, practically a grumble. "I told him I don't remember anything and he still persists."

"Is that the truth?" Luffy asked, giving Zoro another oddly serious look.

"I think he's lying," Usopp told Luffy, as if he expected Zoro couldn't hear him.

Zoro glared at Usopp briefly before looking to Luffy. "It's as far as I'm willing to tell," he said, raising his chin slightly. He did not and would never consider that a lie. His past was his own, and he cherished what little he had. It wasn't for them to know.

"You know, Zoro," Luffy said, a thoughtful note in his innocent tone. "It doesn't sound fair." And that was all he said.

oOo

Sanji rejoined the group on the second floor landing and didn't so much as greet Zoro, opting instead to feign obliviousness to his very existence. "One of the kitchen hands came to get me on my way down," Sanji said, watching the stairs. "He said the doctor will be here any minute and we've got to make dinner in good time to have her."

"What? The doctor is staying for dinner?" Usopp asked.

"Yeah. I asked why, but a kitchen hand wouldn't know. But, I do know that the doctor makes the staff nervous."

"Why? Is he a duck-man?" Luffy asked seriously as they reached the bottom of the stairs and exited into the lobby.

Sanji laughed. "What? No. She's a witch, the way I understand it," he corrected, raising his eyebrows.

"There's no such thing," Zoro said, crossing his arms and frowning as Luffy led the way into the infirmary. Some nurses watched their group sternly and Zoro just watched them right back. "They're just overreacting, being too superstitious."

"A real witch?" Usopp asked loudly, seemingly not having heard Zoro at all. "That's too scary! Witches hurt people, not heal them!"

"Hush!"

Usopp flinched and lowered his voice. "We've got to get Nami out of here before the witch arrives!"

"You heard Zoro," Luffy said merrily as he climbed onto the only real chair beside Nami's bed. "There's no such thing as witches. You can't know until you see them, anyway. You gotta see if she has a big, beaky nose and warts!"

"I don't know what to make of that sentence," Sanji mumbled, taking a seat at the foot of Nami's bed. "Have we missed anything, Vivi-chan?"

Vivi looked up from adjusting the cloth on Nami's forehead. "Oh, no. She hasn't stirred since I've been sitting here. What were you four talking about?"

"The witch who's coming in," Usopp answered, shivering once.

"No, the doctor that's coming in," Zoro corrected.

"Oh?" Vivi raised her eyebrows at them. "A, uh... A witch doctor? I don't understand."

Sanji groaned, throwing his head back. "No, a normal doctor. I only heard from one of the kitchen hands that she's a bit harsh, that's all."

At that very moment the heavy door burst open and knocked a dent into the wall with its knob. The nurses stopped and looked up, and both conscious and unconscious patients, with the exception of Nami, stirred and looked up at the doorway, startled. A woman with the face of an old lady and the body of a much younger woman walked into the room with all the confidence in the world, swinging her hips as she went. "Do you want to know the secret to my youthfulness?" she asked no one in particular, grinning a witchy grin.

The nurses took a second to recover from that courteous introduction, but when they did, one stepped forth. "Excuse me, ma'am, but you can't be here if you're going to cause such a ruckus," the nurse said, her stern voice wavering slightly under the sunglass stare of the witch-like woman.

The witch threw her head back and laughed, her shoulders bouncing and raising her already belly-baring shirt to an indecent length. "Well, well, aren't you a brave one? I guess now you're gonna tell there ain't someone here who needs my help? Hee, you'd have quite the cancellation fee if you called me down here for nothing."

"D-Doctorine!" A small figure hid behind the witch's leg, clutching fistfuls of her purple pants. The group gathered around and on Nami's bed watched with curiosity and interest as a little child mumbled something to the back of the witch's leg.

"Heeheehee, of course! The patient always comes first; don't talk nonsense, child!" the witch laughed, doing a quick once-over of the room without moving a step. She turned her head to Nami's bed and lifted her sunglasses from her eyes, another big grin spreading across her face, this time crinkling her eyes in a somewhat sinister way. "There's my patient," she said.

"Wait, _you're_ Doctor Kureha?" one of the nurses asked.

"Of course I am! Who the hell'd you think I was?" Kureha snapped, walking over to Nami's bed in her own time with the small child following close behind.

Sanji remained seated at the foot of the bed while Vivi and Usopp moved away deliberately to be further from the witchy doctor. Luffy and Zoro stayed where they were, sitting and standing respectively on the right side of Nami's bed.

Luffy raised his chin at the doctor. "You're gonna take care of Nami?" he asked.

"You can thank me later, kid. Now, get out," Doctor Kureha said, jerking her thumb towards the door. "I don't need a crowd of brats keeping me from my patient."

Sanji and Zoro looked to Luffy, whose dark eyes were focused solely on Doctor Kureha. After a minute, Luffy slid harmlessly off his chair and bowed at the waist. "She's in your hands." A moment later, Zoro and Sanji followed suit. From where they were, with two beds between themselves and Kureha, Usopp and Vivi did the same.

Slowly, the five of them left the nearly silent room with a small, sparkly eyed child watching them go from behind Kureha's legs.

oOo

"Do you think they'll come and get us when she's finished?" Vivi asked, combing through her ponytail with her fingers.

"I don't think so. But, if they do, I hope it's one of the nurses, not the scary witch doctor," Usopp said with a shiver.

From the corner of the room, Zoro shook his head. He'd already tried to correct them on the matter of witch doctors versus witchy doctors, but they weren't getting it. He was too annoyed to explain it all over again.

"If nobody comes to get us in five minutes, I'm going down there!" Luffy announced, nodding resolutely.

"Luffy, it's only been a few minutes. It takes longer than that to heal someone," Usopp informed, though he'd done nothing but doubt the lady doctor.

"Maybe we could ask Sanji-kun in a while? He's bound to know, since he knew that the doctor was going to come here earlier," Vivi suggested tentatively. "He should be done with dinner soon enough, right?"

"That's a great idea!" Luffy exclaimed, perking up. "Can we go ask him now?"

"Idiot. He's probably still busy," Zoro chided, looking sternly at Luffy.

An odd look flashed across Luffy's face as he looked back at Zoro. "Then, you can go in half an hour or so, right, Zoro?"

"Why me?" Zoro asked, getting a slight feeling that he'd already asked that.

"You need to talk to him anyway, so why _not _you?" Luffy countered, raising his eyebrows in the most perfect display of stupid and smart at the same time.

Zoro just scoffed and closed his eyes, deciding to either sleep or pretend to so he didn't have to talk to them about Sanji anymore. It was freaking annoying normally, but it was especially irritating when he hadn't done anything yet. _No, not "yet," I haven't done anything and I won't._

Barely starting to nod off, Zoro heard a creak out in the hall that roused him. The floorboards in the hall outside the door didn't creak unless someone stood on them for a while; Zoro had learned that a while ago. The others didn't seem to notice, but he did.

"Whoever's standing out there, either state your business or go away," Zoro said, cracking an eye and looking towards the half-open door.

"Someone's out there? How do you know that, Zoro-san?"

"That's creeeepy! I thought you were asleep, Zoro!"

Luffy hopped into Zoro's view and pushed the door open the rest of the way slowly. "I didn't hear anyone, so how- oh! Hi, there!"

The child that was with Kureha in the infirmary was standing behind the door with one leg sticking right out in the open, staring with its big brown eyes at Luffy. The kid was wearing a tall pink hat with a white x on the front, their light brown hair sticking out everywhere. As far as Zoro could tell from the face, the hat, the purple shorts and the brown tank top, the child could be a boy or a girl. He really couldn't tell.

"What are you doing out here? Did you want to come in?" Luffy asked cheerily, gesturing widely to his room.

The child flinched and gulped like Luffy had threatened their very existence. "N-no!" the child squeaked. "Excuse me!" With that, the slight child grabbed the rim of their hat and ran off down the hall.

Vivi, Usopp and Luffy laughed and Zoro snorted. That was a very strange kid, in his mind, but he had a feeling Luffy was going to end up reeling him in.

"I'm gonna go make him my friend," Luffy decided, adjusting his hat and starting after the little child. "I'll be back in time for dinner!"

*** Baa-chan - Like the female version of Ossan? I don't know. It's just "old lady," "granny," or some such. It's not very polite. xD**

**Finally we have another character coming in! I don't suppose anyone really needs to GUESS who it is, but I'm not going to say, just in case. Anyway, he's goin' to be fuuuuuun~!**


	38. Chopper

**HI EVERYONE. I HAVE RETURNED. It's been roughly three weeks since my last chapter update, not counting The Zoro Tree, but it feels like it's been a year. Okay, that's a bit off. It feels like it's been three-hundred years. xD You may have to refer to the previous chapter, because I, myself, had to look back several times. Anywho! Read away~!**

The second Sanji stepped out into the hall, he nearly ran right into Zoro. Immediately, Sanji ditched his smile for a less-then-impressed sort of glare. "What are you doing here?" Sanji asked, holding the swinging kitchen doors still for a moment before starting off down the hall without waiting on Zoro's answer.

"Before you start on some insulting tirade about my sense of direction, I'm not lost," Zoro snapped, catching up to Sanji quickly.

"Good. I wouldn't have helped if you were lost." Out of the corner of his eye, Sanji saw Zoro grit his teeth.

"Anyway," Zoro bit out, clenching his jaw. "Luffy sent me down here to ask if you knew whether the doctor was done with Nami yet."

Sanji laughed through his nose. "And, how would I know that? I have been working in the kitchen, not the infirmary. Why don't you ask the nervous kid that was down here earlier?" Sanji suggested, remembering the little child who had requested plain vegetable soup on behalf of Doctor Kureha. He could not, for the life of him, figure out if that kid was a boy or a girl, but he had taken the request politely and shouted at the chef until he listened.

"I couldn't find him," Zoro answered, plainly.

That reply irked Sanji. _So, Zoro tried to avoid me, huh? Time to make this awkward for him, then._ Sanji put on a pout and mumbled, "Oh."

Zoro started to say something, but drew up short, apparently just processing Sanji's tone. Then, Zoro switched to the amusing setting that Sanji was proud of himself for bringing out. "W-what was that about?!" Zoro stuttered, recoiling away from Sanji slightly.

The blond swallowed his smirk, turning his head away from Zoro and sighing. Zoro ran around in front of Sanji and stopped him from walking by putting his hands on Sanji's shoulders. "Wait a second! Wh-what the hell are you upset about now?!"

"Nothing," Sanji pouted, averting his eyes to a random spot on the wall. Oh, how he loved to mess with Zoro. _The damn plant deserves it_.

"That's not a 'nothing' face! What did I say wrong?" Zoro asked loudly. Sanji barely held back a snort, keeping his eyes away from Zoro's fish-out-of-water face. "This isn't still about earlier, is it?"

_Diverging from initial plan,_ Sanji thought, his eyes widening slightly as he looked up. "Excuse me?" he asked, just to be sure. If Zoro just brought up their fight about Zoro not giving an inch about his past while requesting all of Sanji's past, then they most certainly had a problem. If Zoro was only talking about a couple of minutes earlier when he implied that he went looking for the strange little nervous kid before going to speak to Sanji, then his plan would go swimmingly. But, of course, that couldn't be so.

"I know you know what I'm talking about!" Zoro said, inclining his head and making his frown look more serious. "Earlier when I ask what you were thinking about and you started bitching about-"

"What?! I told you you didn't want to hear about what I was thinking about and, for the record, I don't bitch!" Sanji interrupted, swatting Zoro's hands away and stomping off. He was going to be angry about that one for quite a while.

"Hah! Yeah, right! You bitch all the time. And, anyway, I told you that I wanted to know about your past, you already knew that, so why the hell are you mad about it?" Zoro asked, having a surprisingly difficult time catching up with Sanji.

Sanji abruptly stopped walking and Zoro nearly tripped trying to stop, too. "Why am I mad...? Oh, Zoro." Sanji shook his head, glaring at Zoro. "If you don't backtrack and walk the hell away from me, this is going to get serious."

"What makes you think I'd walk away now? I've said over and over that I want to know about your past," Zoro said, turning himself towards Sanji. "I've already made myself clear about that, dart brow. You can't threaten me out of it."

Sanji pursed his lips, looking at the floor. "You want to know why I'm mad?" Sanji asked, glancing around them at the empty hall before looking square at Zoro. "Well, I've told you about my dad, about my mom before she died and afterward. I've told you about at least one specific memory from my past and about what happened with and to my adoptive parents. You know more about my past than anyone else here, and what do I know? I know that a dojo may have been involved in your past. To add to that, I know that you don't want me to know about your past and have decided that the best way to keep me from knowing is to lie and say you don't remember anything."

He said it all in a very quiet voice, in the calmest possible tone, with a deadly serious look in his eyes. Zoro stared at him, still mentally digesting everything he'd just heard. Standing up a little straighter, Sanji said, "Do consider that before you start demanding things again." He then walked away from Zoro, hoping what he said would take root in Zoro's brain with a good result.

oOo

Luffy peeked around the corner, sighing heavily when he realized the strange child wasn't there either. He'd looked just about everywhere, including several hiding places inside and outside of the orphanage. He'd asked everyone he passed if they'd seen a little boy or girl with a tall pink hat, but, apparently, no one had seen the child. It was at that point that Luffy decided he must be looking for a ninja.

That, according to various employees throughout the orphanage, was ridiculous. But, he didn't care at all. He wanted that kid to be his friend even more, knowing that the kid was a ninja. So, it was secret, stealthy search time. That's what he loudly told anyone who asked what he was doing.

"Oh!" Luffy dropped a fist in his open palm. "I forgot to check the infirmary!" he realized aloud, turning and walking away from the maid that he'd been talking to and heading towards the infirmary. He grinned, congratulating himself on his brilliant revelation. If the shy kid with the pink hat was there and he could see Nami, too, that would be like... "Catching two birds with one net? Or, fish?" Luffy puzzled, tilting his head to let his thoughts in at an angle.

Luffy walked straight into the infirmary, paying no attention to the nurse at the door that was trying to tell him to wait for permission to enter. He wandered over to Nami's bedside and sat down, lost in thought. "Y'know, Nami, I forgot what I came here for. I know there was something..."

"Young man, you can't be here right now!" a nurse whispered to him hoarsely, looking around like a squirrel or something. "Doctor Kureha will not be happy!"

Luffy hummed thoughtfully to himself, looking around. "Oh! I remember now!" he exclaimed, sliding off his seat and running around the room, looking under beds. "I'm looking for that funny kid with the pink hat! Hey, have you seen him, Nami?" Luffy asked his unconscious nakama.

A squeak from across the room caught Luffy's ever-mobile attention and the top of a pink hat held it. "There you are!" Luffy laughed, skipping towards the hat that was slowly moving out from behind an examination table on the other end of the room. "I wanna talk to you, kid!"

The kid with the pink hat squeaked again, jumped up and ran from the room with a laughing Luffy hot on their heels. "Wait up!" Luffy called, enjoying himself almost too much as he chased after the strange kid. "I want you to be my friend!"

"No!" the kid called back, booking it up the stairs.

"Why not?!" Luffy whined.

"Because!" The kid got off on the third floor and Luffy slammed into the door as it attempted to shut itself.

"Hey!" Luffy shouted, rubbing his forehead where it had met the door. "Sanji! Anyone! Catch that kid so I can talk to him!" he called, hoping Sanji had come back up and was not still in the kitchen, unavailable for helping him capture small animal-like children.

Down the hall and around the corner was a squeak, louder than before. A moment later, Sanji came around the corner holding the strange, squeak-prone kid high enough off the ground that their flailing limbs did no good towards their escape. "How did you know I was up here?" Sanji asked, bypassing the fact that he'd just captured a small child for absolutely no reason other than for Luffy to talk to them.

Luffy shrugged. "I'm lucky, that's how! Now, you," Luffy said, pointing to the squirming child Sanji was holding and grinning at them. "What's your name?"

"Lemme go!" the kid squeaked, flailing harder and causing Sanji to stumble back a step.

"Whoa, calm down, kid," Sanji soothed, laughing when the strange child listened. "Nobody here's gonna eat you, so just-"

"EAT ME?!" the child shrieked, scrambling to get out of Sanji's hold.

"Hey, we don't eat people! Geez, Sanji, don't tell him stuff like that!" Luffy scolded, walking over to them.

Sanji's jaw dropped slightly. "Didn't you hear what I just said? I said we _won't_ eat him! Don't blame me for things I didn't say, idiot."

"Lemme go!" the kid squeaked again, putting their arms out to keep Luffy back for all the good it would do them. "Don't eat me!"

"Don't be silly! I wanna be your friend!" Luffy laughed, patting the top of the kid's hat.

The kid froze and stared at Luffy with wide eyes through their fluffy light brown hair. A blush bloomed on the kid's face and they grinned goofily. "Are you trying to flatter me, asshole~? Well, it's not working~!"

Luffy and Sanji exchanged a look before they both busted out laughing. "What was _that_?" Sanji asked, setting the kid down on the ground, but not letting go entirely.

"He's so much fun! Sanji, we have to introduce him to the others!" Luffy announced excitedly, seizing the kid's hand and leading them towards the elevator.

"Luffy," Sanji called, hesitantly. "Are you even sure it's a boy?"

"What do you mean? Of course he's a boy, Sanji, don't be rude. Are you a boy, kid?"

The kid blushed deep red. "Y-yes! I'm a boy, can't you t-tell? And, my name's not kid!" he stuttered.

"Oh, that was so many words!" Luffy shouted, astonished. "I wasn't sure you knew how to talk!"

"Luffy, he was talking earlier," Sanji reminded him, pressing the down button for the elevator. "Don't you remember? 'Lemme go' and 'don't eat me.'"

"I-I can talk just fine!" the yet-anonymous child said loudly. "I just d-don't talk to people who chase me!"

Luffy threw his head back and laughed, just as the elevator arrived. "Well, there wouldn't have been a chase if you hadn't run from me! I only want to talk to you, kid, that's all. And, since you can talk, you can tell me your name, now!"

"Ch-Chopper! My name is Tony Tony Chopper!"

oOo

"Zoro," Usopp called, waving Zoro over from down the hall and around the corner. "You have to come here, quickly! It's important!"

"No, I don't, and just tell me what it is," Zoro grumbled, taking his time getting to where Usopp was. He wasn't in any kind of mood to put up with Usopp's antics, but it was on the way to his and Luffy's room, so he supposed he had no choice.

"Come look! It's talking! Oh, but don't move too quickly or talk too loud, you might scare it!" Usopp whispered loudly, waving even more vigorously. That did very little to compel Zoro to move faster. "Hurry, we never know when it'll stop!"

Zoro rolled his eyes and grumbled as, when he got within an arm's length of Usopp, he was grabbed and pulled around the corner and to the open doorway of a room that was all too familiar. "What the hell do you want me to see in my own room that I haven't already seen?"

"B-but it's t-t-true! I a-am a doctor!" an adorably high voice squeaked indignantly from inside Zoro and Luffy's room. Zoro looked at Usopp suspiciously, then he peered into the room. Sitting on the bottom bunk was the strange little kid, pink hat and all, looking nervously between Luffy and Sanji.

Trying his hardest to pass over the amused smile Sanji was wearing, Zoro barged into the room and directed his attention to the kid whose gender he had yet to learn. "You guys are friends already? I should've figured," Zoro snorted, smirking at Luffy. Behind him, in the doorway, Usopp was stuttering about scaring a proverbial deer in the headlights.

"Hey Zoro!" Luffy greeted, waving enthusiastically and grabbing on to the back of the nervous kid's shirt when they tried to jump off the bed. "This is Chopper! He says he's a doctor and I believe him, but Sanji doesn't! Can you tell Sanji he's wrong, Zoro?"

"You're wrong, curlicue," Zoro deadpanned. "Now, how could that little toddler be a doctor?"

Chopper started to say something, but glanced at Sanji and squeaked shrilly before diving behind Luffy. "I-I just am! Pleasedon'tfight!" he wailed, pointing at Zoro and Sanji.

The blond was making a disdainful face at Zoro, while Zoro blatantly ignored him. Luffy looked at the two of them several times, pouting. "What happened this time? Didn't you take my advice, Zoro?" he whined, crossing his arms and directing his pout at Zoro.

"How many times do I have to say it ain't my fault?" Zoro snapped, raising his chin challengingly.

"I'm going back to the kitchen," Sanji said loudly, standing up and nodding kindly towards Chopper and Luffy. "I'll come get you both when dinner's done. And, Usopp, could you go find Vivi-chan, please? I need to talk to her." He left the room without even glancing at Zoro, leaving behind a stunned Luffy and Usopp and a confused deer in the headlights.

"D-d-did you s-see that, Luffy?!" Usopp asked urgently, craning his neck and making sure Sanji was definitely out of earshot.

"I did!" Luffy answered, eyes bulging out of his head. "This is terrible! You've really made him mad, Zoro!"

"Th-that was 'really mad?'" Chopper asked, looking around at the other boys for answers.

"Yeah!" Usopp hurried over and sat down on the bed next to Luffy and Chopper. "Friends bicker, Sanji and Zoro fight, but anybody who's really mad is quietly ticking like a time bomb! This has happened before, you know, Chopper. Once, they didn't talk to each other for nearly two years!"

Zoro growled. "Shut up! That was different!"

"No, not really," Luffy said, shaking his head. "You should've taken my advice, Zoro!"

"Boys!" They all looked to the empty doorway that became occupied momentarily with an out of breath Vivi. "Oh! Hello, there! You were with Ms. Doctor, weren't you? Nice to meet you," Vivi greeted Chopper politely. "My name is Vivi-"

"Is something wrong? You look exhausted," Usopp observed and Luffy agreed.

"Oh!" Vivi gasped. "Right! I forgot! I came here to tell you something important!"

"Well? What is it?"

"Nami-san's awake!"

**:O**

**This will prove interesting... Won't it? Maybe... xD**


	39. Semi-desperate measures

**Shrimp.**

"No, no, no, you can't all be here!" A timid volunteer nurse tried and failed to keep Luffy, Usopp, Vivi, Zoro and Chopper out of the infirmary. It seemed she had not been told by all the other nurses that when that particular group wanted something, they got it, even if it was against the rules for that many loud children to be in the infirmary at once.

"Nami, what took so long?!" Luffy whined, dodging another nurse and running up to Nami's bedside.

"Yeah, Nami! I thought you said all those oranges kept you in perfect health!" Usopp accused, standing next to Luffy on Nami's right.

As the other three came up to her bed, Nami smiled sleepily. "Nice to see you guys, too." She laughed quietly, easing herself up into a sit with a bit of help from Chopper. The half-melted ice pack from her forehead fell into her lap and Nami did little more than glance at it. "How long was I out?" she asked, frowning slightly.

"About a week and a half," Vivi answered, wiping tears from her cheeks and smiling.

Nami laughed, sounding a little like she was coughing. "Hey, now, wasn't I the only one that was unconscious? What do you mean 'about' a week and a half?" Nami asked jokingly, trying to cheer Vivi up and succeeding.

"It was a long time!" Luffy shouted like that part was unclear. "We missed you! Did you forget how to wake up or something, Nami?"

"Oi, Luffy! She's sick!" Usopp scolded, slapping his friend upside the head. He then turned to Nami and asked, "Unless this is all some elaborate, cruel scheme to somehow end up with all of our lunch money?"

"Hah! You don't have any lunch money. But, if it makes you feel better, you can owe me," Nami said with a wink and a grin. "And, f.y.i., I am still sick, but thanks to Doctorine and that little guy over there, I feel much better." Nami pointed to Chopper and smiled at him, making the boy blush.

"Don't think that makes me happy, stupid-head!" Chopper cooed, doing a wiggly little dance that even a blind person would call happy. "You aren't gonna get special treatment for being nice to me!"

"That was really cute," Vivi pointed out, giggling and wiping her eyes again when Chopper blushed further and began his insulting happy dance, only livelier.

Zoro, being the grumpy pants that he was, just sat back and watched without seeing as his friends laughed and talked with Nami, by whom aforementioned grumpy pants' attitude did not go unnoticed.

"Ne, Zoro, what's got you all hot and bothered?" Nami asked with her usual delicacy, interrupting a conversation the others were having.

Zoro scoffed and glared at Nami and Usopp apparently took that as his cue to throw Zoro under the metaphorical bus. "He and Sanji have been fighting and he made Sanji really mad," Usopp said, nodding from his safe spot with a bed and Luffy stopping Zoro from punching him right there and then.

"What else is new?" Nami deadpanned. "If I have to get involved, Zoro, I'm doubling your debt and tripling the interest. Now, tell me what happened."

"Pass."

"Then, I'll just ask Sanji-kun the next time I see him and you'll have a buttload of debt to pay," Nami told him, crossing her arms. Even through a fever and various medications, not twenty minutes after awakening from a week-and-a-half-long coma of sorts, Nami still managed to inexplicably control Zoro.

"...Fine. But, it's not even a big deal, he's just being melodramatic." Zoro waited a beat before explaining, in very little detail that would hopefully put them on his side of the argument, what had transpired. He knew Luffy had already decided that he should just apologize to Sanji and that Usopp pretty much agreed with that, but if the girls were on his side, then maybe he wouldn't have to-

"You're kidding, right?" Nami asked incredulously, suddenly well enough to judge Zoro. "Even neanderthal idiots like you can't be that stupid. You should _never_ mess with Sanji-kun about his past, Zoro, surely you've learned that by now?"

"Why not? I want to know and he ain't tellin' me on his own. Besides, everyone's touchy about their history. That doesn't mean he gets to be a-"

"Zoro-san!" Vivi interjected, somewhat frantically. "I-I think it would be better if you just left it alone. Left _him_ alone."

"That's right," Luffy said, giving Zoro a serious look that he seemed to like giving recently. "So, if we all agree-" Everyone except Zoro nodded. "Zoro, you have to apologize to Sanji and leave him alone. Let him tell you in his own time," Luffy said with a finality that Zoro could hardly argue with.

"This is ridiculous," Zoro snapped, shaking his head and leaving the room without another word.

oOo

The following weekend was not an easy one by anyone's definition. Nami was getting better, yes. And, Chopper was hanging out with Luffy and the rest like they'd been friends for years, yes. But, any time Sanji and Zoro were in the same room together, everyone and every subject became tense until one or the other boy left. Needless to say, that annoyed the crap out of Nami. Not only did it steal her center-of-attention thunder, it also completely contradicted what she had decided their relationship must be. They weren't following her plan at all. She thought they'd been taught already that she was undefiable, but if they needed another lesson, she'd gladly give it to them.

On Sunday, after receiving her medication, Nami asked Chopper for his help. "If you don't want to, that's fine. I just thought you were as tired of their bickering as I am."

"Well..." Chopper bit his lower lip, thinking. He fidgeted slightly in his seat, pulling his hat down over the tops of his ears. "I haven't known them long, but I don't want them to fight... What do you need me to do?"

_Perfect! This may even work better than if I did things myself! Even Zoro and Sanji-kun can't resist this kid,_ Nami thought, grinning to herself. "First off, I have to know how long I'll be bedridden. Then, I can make a plan around that."

"Doctorine said five days at least. This is the third day, so, two more."

Nami nodded, processing that information. "Okay... You know where their rooms are, right?" she asked. Chopper nodded so Nami continued, "Good. Now, first, I need you to go to Sanji-kun's room. You can't tell Zoro and Sanji-kun the same things, you know, and Sanji-kun's just easier. So, all you have to do is..."

oOo

Chopper took a number of deep breaths, going over his lines again in his head. He'd never really lied before so he was nervous, even though Nami told him it wasn't lying. When he got to Sanji's room, the door was open as it always was and he was spotted right away. No chance of escape.

"Hey, Chopper! What's up?" Sanji greeted happily, looking up from his backpack. _And he has no idea I'm trying to mold his brain..._

Chopper stepped into the room carefully, glancing around to be sure that there was no one else there to witness his first deceit. "W-well, it's just..." Chopper trailed off, already starting to lose his cool. "N-Nami said she... She said- well, no, Doctorine said Nami won't... Well, Nami might not, uh..."

"Chopper, what is it? I don't understand," Sanji said, raising his eyebrows and shaking his head. "What about Nami-san?"

"Just her c-condition is... You and Z-Zoro were fighting and she-she's upset and getting worse, no, no she, I mean- Nami told me to tell you that she was getting sicker so you guys would stop fighting, I'm sorry I lied!" Chopper squeaked, bursting into tears.

Sanji put his hands up in a peaceful gesture as he stepped towards Chopper. "Hey, hey, it's okay! There's no need to cry, Chopper, you didn't really lie. Now, Nami told you to lie to me? Why?"

Chopper sobbed, shaking his head vigorously. "Please don't be mad at meeee! She's really convincing!"

"You know, Chopper, I like Nami-san a lot, but I think the word you're looking for is conniving," Sanji said with a laugh.

"You're right. I'm sorryyy..." Chopper apologized, wiping tears from his eyes. He already knew Nami would be mad, but he was proud of himself for not lying, even if Nami did scare him and kinda made him not want to go back down to the infirmary.

"It's okay. I'm used to it," Sanji assured him, smiling and patting the top of his hat. "Now, would you please explain to me what Nami-san was going to have you do?"

"She just told me that she wanted to stop you and Zoro from f-fighting and she told me that I had to help her do that while she was still on bedrest and-and that I should try talking to you first because you're easier and nicer to talk to than Zoro, but I couldn't lie and now she's gonna-"

"Whoa, kid, take a breath at some point!" Sanji interrupted, concerned and amused at the same time as Chopper took a break from his squeaky, teary rant. "You don't have to say it quickly, I'm not going anywhere."

Chopper took a few deep breaths, calming himself down. "Okay. Okay, I'm good now. Nami told me to tell you she was getting sicker and then come back and tell her how you reacted so she could give me instructions on how to deal with Zoro," Chopper explained guiltily. "But, now I don't know what to do, since I didn't even get through the first part..."

"Hmm... Well, you probably don't want to tell her you caved. She is not known for her merciful forgiveness, I'll tell you that much. But, you could just make something up. Like, I got really worried, or something."

"I don't think I can do that. You know how well my first lie worked out," Chopper said, sniffling and toeing the floor.

Sanji nodded, thinking. "That's true. You really didn't do very well, even if that was your first lie. Do you think you could tell her that I wasn't in my room? She might ask if you went looking, but you could just say you couldn't find me."

Chopper frowned. "Maybe. I don't know. I think it would just make her worry. That is, if I said I couldn't find you."

"I guess that's right. Well, I could come with you. Try my own hand at lying," Sanji suggested, wondering if he really could lie to Nami. He had only used small or very important lies on her, and sometimes she saw through even those.

"I don't think that's the kind of reaction she hoped for. I think she wanted you to be compelled to talk to Zoro," Chopper said tentatively, suspecting a bad reaction to his words. "Maybe you could give it a try? Just so I could tell her you went. Hey! Maybe I could do that, 'cause it wouldn't really be lying! Could you do it for me, please?"

Sanji frowned, giving Chopper a hesitant look. "You want me to talk to Zoro? But, he's a- he's a jerk! I don't want to talk to him, Chopper. Not unless he's going to magically make it all better by apologizing, which I doubt he could."

"I'm sorry, Sanji, I don't mean to pry... But, isn't Zoro too stubborn to apologize? Especially when he can't see how upset you are face-to-face. Wouldn't it-"

Sanji cut him off sharply. "No, I don't want to talk to him."

Chopper bit his lip, dropping his gaze down to the floor. "...Sorry... I'll just try telling Nami the truth... alright?" He glanced up from under the brim of his hat, watching Sanji's expression soften slightly. "I'll see you later, I guess."

As Chopper departed slowly down the hall, he could feel Sanji watching him. His shoulders were slumped in anticipation of Nami's reaction to his report and he figured that must have done it, because he was barely halfway to the elevator when he heard Sanji call out from behind him. "Chopper, wait!"

"Yes?" Chopper looked hopefully over his shoulder.

Sanji sighed and shook his head as he caught up to Chopper. "Fine. I'll go see Zoro, but I can't guarantee we'll talk. Just so Nami won't be mad at you, okay? You're too young to die, anyway," Sanji said, looking serious despite what Chopper hoped was a joke he'd just told and not an honest possibility.

"Really? You will?" Chopper asked, a relieved smile breaking out across his face when Sanji nodded. "Thank you so much, Sanji! I owe you one!" Chopper squeaked happily, hugging Sanji around the waist briefly before taking off running down the hall and into the elevator. He was glad he wouldn't have to lie to Nami.

Chopper skipped past the nurse at the the door with a smile and ran up to Nami's bedside as she was opening a bottle of juice. "So, how'd it go? He fall for it?" she asked, grinning at Chopper like she already knew the answer.

"Yep! That was so much fun!" Chopper announced, bouncing with excitement.

"Plan A or plan B?"

"Plan B. I didn't want to do plan A because it was too showy."

"And, you think it worked?" Nami inquired, raising an eyebrow at Chopper as she sipped her apple juice.

Chopper made an indistinct squeaky sound and clapped his hands. "Yes! It was so fun to do that, Nami, he did exactly what you said he would! You shoulda seen his face. He really bought it!"

Nami beamed at him. "Obviously, he did. I'm the master. So, how was his reaction? Was he angry, sad, glad to help you or what?"

"He looked kinda upset... of course I expected that, but I don't know, Nami. I have a feeling that this meeting between them, whether it's actually happening or not, won't go as well as you planned," Chopper informed carefully.

Nami's grin dropped. "What makes you say that?" she asked, smiling kindly and threateningly at the same time.

"W-well," Chopper stuttered, inching away from the redhead. "Just, uh... S-Sanji was pretty upset about their fight and I h-heard Zoro talking about it y-y-yesterday, saying he wouldn't apologize because he didn't do anything wrong."

Nami narrowed her eyes at Chopper. "Do you think I'm an amateur?" she asked, crossing her arms and looking down her nose at him. "Chopper, I've been doing this for years. I know what to do to get the outcome I desire."

"Do you... want them to not be friends?" Chopper asked, confused and worried.

"Of course I don't want them to be friends!" Nami declared like it was obvious. "I won't settle for anything less than lovers!"

"W-what are you shouting about in the middle of the infirmary, young lady?!" A poor, unfortunate nurse who happened to catch the wrong end of the conversation asked loudly, appalled.

Chopper, who was looking very confusedly between Nami and the nurse, asked, "What? What does that mean?"

"You are yet too young to worry about it, little Chopper. Just know that my plans for Zoro and Sanji are only going to bring them closer together, okay?" Nami winked at Chopper and stuck her tongue out at the nurse, smirking like she'd won something.

"So, you... aren't trying to make them fight?" Chopper asked, still puzzled and tilting his head to the side.

"Of course I am, Chopper, don't be silly," Nami answered, waving her hand dismissively.

"I'm confused. You want them to fight so they'll be better friends?"

"That's exactly right."

"I don't get it..."

"You weren't meant to, Chopper. You just have to do what I tell you to do."

**:P This was supposed to just be a bridge, but I liked it. Chopper would make a damn fine accomplice for Nami. xD**


	40. Worse

**It's me again, that one girl that set a schedule for updates that she kept to for exactly three weeks. xDDx Well, sorry about that, but it's here now. And, it's FREAKING 40! My story is middle-aged and an infant at the same time! (It turns 1 in March. xD)**

He didn't know what he'd expected to happen. Certainly he hadn't expected Sanji's visit. At the time, he had assumed it was a good thing, although out of the ordinary, but after thinking about it all night, he was almost sure that visit had screwed him.

It wasn't really his fault, he decided. It was Sanji's fault. Or, maybe Chopper's. Sanji had said Chopper sent him, so maybe Zoro could blame Chopper for the spontaneous visit. Scratch that, he _definitely _blamed Chopper.

oOo

_"Hey..." Sanji greeted weakly, looking down and away from Zoro._

_"What the hell are you doing here?" Zoro asked, taking up the doorway. He didn't know why Sanji, who was being stubbornly mad at him, would just show up at his room unannounced, but he was pretty sure it wasn't to apologize and confess the secrets of his past._

_Sanji looked shocked by Zoro's greeting, but he responded very calmly. "I came here 'cause Chopper said Nami would be mad at him if I didn't... Or something like that." The blond looked at him like he was expecting something, but Zoro didn't know what to say to that._

_"Okay. Well, if that's all, you can just leave now, right?"_

oOo

Zoro wished he hadn't said that. It was stupid, he knew. He'd always been told that he was stubborn and on a few occasions overly so. He didn't know about all that, but he could stand to be less stubborn. At least when things were going his way.

"Come ooooon, Zoro! We're gonna be late!" Luffy called, running in place in the middle of the lobby.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Zoro grumbled. He would've told them to go ahead and leave without him, but he'd already gotten lost twice that morning, just on his floor. He didn't feel like risking being submersed in thought and getting lost out in the world. Where would he nap if he got lost?

Setting out towards the school, Zoro noticed Sanji wasn't with them. He wasn't really surprised, but he felt something. He thought, perhaps, that it was disappointment, but he couldn't be disappointed since he hadn't been looking forward to seeing Sanji again so soon after what he said. It would have made things worse.

oOo

_"Lea- Zoro! Did you think about what you said at all? I came here to end our fight, not to get sniped at by you," Sanji said, more than a little bit put out by Zoro's rudeness._

_"Really?" Zoro questioned, raising an eyebrow at Sanji. "After all your complaints, insisting that I was wrong for so long, you're trying to end this fight _now_?" He didn't believe that even for a second._

_Sanji frowned, crossing his arms. "In fact, yes, yes I am. I thought you'd be all for it," he said. He got that look that Zoro noticed every time he was about to make an assumption that, right or not, would make him upset._

_"Yeah, fine, okay. Well, how are you gonna do that, huh?" Zoro asked, stepping out into the hall and closing the door behind him._

_"I don't know..." Sanji mumbled, dropping his arms by his sides. He was pouting ever-so-slightly and Zoro didn't know what to make of that. "I was hoping you wouldn't be against it and you'd help me come up with a solution. But, maybe you... don't want to?"_

oOo

Zoro sighed, rolling his head to one side and then the other. Luffy and Usopp were talking his ears off about something, but he couldn't care less. He'd already ignored them halfway to school, there was no sense in starting to pay attention in the middle.

"Zoro-san, are you okay?" Vivi asked quietly, hanging back next to Zoro. "You haven't said a word since we left home."

"Well, if you think that's 'not okay' behavior, you don't know me," Zoro replied. It crossed his mind that, if Sanji were there, he would've been scolded for talking to a girl like that. Or, maybe Sanji would've completely ignored him.

"I'm not- Zoro-san, that's not exactly what I meant. I don't mean to offend you by saying this, Zoro-san, but I know you aren't the most social person. But, you do usually have a comment or two about what everyone is talking about." Vivi paused, giving him a worried look. "Maybe I'm imagining it, but you seem a little off today."

Zoro cursed the thing called woman's intuition. "I'm fine, Vivi."

"Yeah, Vivi!" Usopp called back, cupping his hands around his mouth even though they were only a couple of yards apart. "He forgot to take his before and after breakfast naps!"

"Shut up!" Zoro snapped, glaring at Usopp. "I'm not _that_ bad, Long Nose!"

oOo

_"Don't be a drama queen," Zoro scolded, hopefully stopping the blond from getting too depressed. "Luffy would kill me if I stopped being your friend."_

_Sanji frowned, providing yet another look that Zoro couldn't decipher. "I'm not sure I like that answer," he said, re-crossing his arms and raising his chin slightly. "Are you saying you wouldn't be my friend if Luffy didn't make you?"_

_And, there he was, twisting Zoro's words again. Zoro hadn't said that, and he definitely hadn't meant it. What he'd meant to say just wasn't coming to the surface. He couldn't say it, whatever it was. "That- I didn't! I didn't say that!"_

_"Then, what did you say?"_

_"You heard me! But, you chose to translate it to something else, just so you had a reason to be mad at me!" Zoro accused. The thought had only half-developed before he said the words, but he was still surprised when Sanji reacted badly._

oOo

"Guys, I'm gonna go see if Sanji's here already!" Luffy told them, darting off without any further warning.

"Oh! Luffy-san, wait up! I want to come, too!" Vivi called after him, waving a quick goodbye to Usopp and Zoro before following Luffy into the crowded school.

For a minute they walked in silence, but given who he was with, Zoro knew it wouldn't last. "So, Zoro, what's up with you and-"

"No."

"Come on! It seems like everyone else but me knows about it! Nami knows for sure and she and Vivi share a brain, so Vivi knows. Luffy obviously knows, since he keeps telling you how to handle it. Even _Chopper_, who has only been here for _three days_ knows!" Usopp ranted, waving his arms around like a crazy person.

Zoro just stared at Usopp for a few seconds, letting him catch his breath and waiting to see if he was finished. "They don't really know," Zoro told him. "No one does."

"Oh- See? Now I don't even know if I know what you're talking about!" Usopp squawked as Zoro hurried up the stairs to the middle school. He didn't care enough to let Usopp in on whatever it was he thought he was missing.

Even with all the noise and activity around him, Zoro couldn't very well keep his mind on the monotonous task at hand. He couldn't remember a time when he'd worried so much about something he'd said to a person and if they were hurt because of it. That had to be the first time. For all that he was worth, Zoro hoped he would never be in the same situation ever again.

oOo

_"Is that what you think?" Sanji asked, his eyebrows gathering together in a slightly confused expression. He laughed, not in a condescending way, but Zoro felt like it was. "That's not it at all! You must not think about things before you say them, Zoro, because what you said and what I heard are the same. You said, and I quote, 'Luffy would kill me if I stopped being your friend.' That means that if Luffy weren't here to 'kill' you, you wouldn't be my friend," Sanji explained, becoming less and less amused. "Now, please. Share with me what I misunderstood."_

_Zoro scoffed. "Obviously, I meant what I said. Luffy _would_ kill me if I stopped trying to get along with you," he said._

_"Trying to get along with me?! That's what you call this?" Sanji asked loudly, gesturing to Zoro and then to himself. "You're being argumentative and rude, Marimo, that is not what I'd call 'trying to get along!'"_

_"Well, I did try, but you're an annoying little bastard! There's only so much I can do when you're always getting your feelings hurt about stupid things!"_

oOo

Idly, Zoro looked around, realizing he was alone in the wide hallway. He didn't much care if he missed one class. Or all. It didn't matter to him, it never did. He had better things to do than sit in a room with two dozen other children and listen to something he'd never remember. Most of those "better" things involved a certain elementary student that he wasn't even sure was at the school, but he wanted to look, at least. He knew Sanji would be in class if he was at school at all. Of course, he didn't know where Sanji's classroom was, let alone how to get there, and he couldn't say for sure that he wouldn't be caught, but he was just concerned enough to go anyway.

_Or, maybe it's "stupid" enough?_ Zoro thought, rolling his eyes at himself as he embarked down the end hall he felt was least likely to take him downstairs. He thought it was stupid, but the others seemed to think that if he went in the opposite direction of the one he thought was right, he would end up where he wanted to be. He assumed that was some version of reverse psychology.

Somehow, Zoro found his way to the stairs and went down to the elementary school without incident. He would consider that pure coincidence until someone could prove otherwise. It crossed his mind that if Sanji were there he would say that his point about Zoro's sense of direction was made. Maybe he was glad for the lack of snarky comments, but the silence was making him wary. Of what, he wasn't sure, but it was a tick in the back of his mind, right next to his regrets from the night before.

oOo

_Even after all the times he'd shocked and disgusted Sanji into silence, Zoro had never seen him so surprised for so long. Sanji stared at him with wide eyes, lips parted and breathing out words that died before their creation. Minutes passed before he regained enough composure to actually speak and by that time his eyes were already expressing what Zoro knew would be there. Pain. "What... What did you... just say to me?"_

_"Are you trying to convince me you're deaf or something?" Zoro asked, unimpressed by Sanji's lack of argument and unnerved by it at the same time._

_"No," Sanji said quickly, shaking his head and taking a step back. "No! Are you kidding me? What 'stupid' things have I gotten my feelings hurt over? The fact that this is a one-sided friendship? Or, maybe it was stupid when I was upset at you for insulting me? I don't understand at all!"_

_"Of _course _you don't!" Zoro groaned, testily. "Just act innocent and everyone will be on your side, right? Well, listen up, kid, I ain't gonna pity you and fall at your feet just 'cause your mom died, okay? That won't happen! Everyone's got a past, yours is nothing special. Stop using it to turn everyone on me!"_

_"What the hell!?" Sanji screamed, anger and pain contorting his face._

_Zoro didn't know what was happening until his back slammed against the door and his breath whooshed out of his lungs. Sanji's foot was planted firmly on Zoro's chest and blue eyes stared him down, mildly surprised._

oOo

"Damn..." Zoro walked a bit faster through the halls, ducking down below windows that gave him clear view into classrooms. He could remember Sanji rattling off his classroom numbers and what time he had them, though he didn't know why. None of the class numbers were ringing any bells. He didn't even know if they were Sanji's grade. Hell, he couldn't remember what grade that was.

As Zoro meandered through the school, he could hear muted voices. Mostly it was teachers droning on, but something was off. Two voices, grown men if Zoro's ears weren't mistaken, were having a conversation, if not an argument. He supposed it might be the principal and janitor since they didn't have classes they were supposed to be in, but the principal was a woman and the janitor was about a month away from retirement and they didn't argue. Something was up.

Had he not been skipping class, Zoro may have just called out. But, he didn't want to risk getting in trouble with whomever else was decidedly skipping class. Unless, of course, they were intruders, but Zoro didn't know who would want to rob a school. That was just stupid.

Another voice, one that was a tiny bit familiar, cut obnoxiously through the quiet hum of muffled voices. "Hey! I'm telling you two what you're supposed to do, got it? It's been a long time, but the plan still remains. The Captain said so himself!"

"We're tired of babysitting those weaklings, right Buchi?"

"That's right, Sham! Our claws are itching for some action!"

_Claws? What a nutjob,_ Zoro thought, casually walking towards the source of the voices. On the way to whatever room the voices were coming from, Zoro stopped at a broom closet. He didn't usually do it, but he felt the necessity to be prepared because of the two voices that were not familiar and the one that was.

oOo

_"What...?" Zoro looked down at the shoe on his chest and followed it up a leg, a body, a neck and finally a face. Sanji's foot. Sanji kicked him. _"You kicked me!" _Zoro tried to say, though Sanji probably knew that quite well. But, words weren't coming to him in such a situation. He couldn't say anything at all, probably in part because of the kick that had landed not without power in the middle of his chest._

_Before he knew what he was doing, Zoro grabbed Sanji's ankle and pushed him away, taking a swing at him while he was off-balance. He didn't usual punch people, but he didn't usually get kicked by them first either. So, he temporarily tossed aside his usual tactics in favor of the easier, quicker and first reflexive instinct._

_The second his fist connected with Sanji's cheek, Zoro regretted it. But, he found himself unable to talk, yet again. That time, though, most of the reason he couldn't talk was surprise at himself and anxiety about Sanji's reaction._

oOo

Zoro snapped back to the present when he heard a door slam. He hid himself around the corner from the sound and peeked out carefully, holding the bokutou* he'd taken from the broom closet that he'd hidden previously behind a cluster of mops and brooms.

"Yeah, yeah, back to the ship, blah, blah, blah," a voice said mockingly, accompanied by the sound of two sets of footsteps. Two men entered Zoro's line of sight, one of them round with fat, the other some kind of hunchback, and both of them dressed like they'd just escaped from the funny farm.

"I swear, if those are teachers," Zoro whispered to himself, shaking his head as he turned and started away. Any previous interest he may have had in seeing who was arguing and why died when he saw their cat-like make up. He had enough crazy on his plate as it was.

"Oh, I forgot, I have to go, too!" the familiar voice called loudly, followed by hurried footsteps. "Hahah, Captain Kuro always tells me to leave before I'm- You!"

Zoro didn't turn around or even stop walking away. Whatever that person was shouting about didn't have anything to do with him. Besides, he had a bokutou to re-hide and a class to not attend.

"Hey, brat! Stop right there!"

Zoro felt the slightest bit of pity for whatever poor soul had been caught skipping class. But, he didn't care to stick around and join them.

"You with the green head! Go catch him, you two!"

_Okay, now I have to know,_ Zoro thought, turning around in time to see the two looney-looking strangers and that one guy with heart-shaped sunglasses that he'd seen before all chasing after him. Confused, Zoro faced forward and hurried down the hall and around the next turn to see if they were _actually_ following him. The frequent footfalls were getting closer, he noticed, crouching and holding his bokutou straight out. It was a cheap move, but he didn't feel like hanging around for too long.

When the three men came running around the corner, Zoro braced himself and his wooden trip wire. "Get him! He might have heard-!" The man with the heart-shaped sunglasses was cut off when he tripped over Zoro's sword and fell expertly on his face.

The other two skidded to a stop and processed the scene for a moment. The hunchback one smirked, flexing his cat-gloved fingers. "It's just some kid! This won't take five minutes!"

Zoro raised his bokutou in preparation for whatever may come, but a bell shrieked from somewhere far too close, reminding him where he was. The next second, the hall was flooded with chattering children and the weird cat guys disappeared in the crowd, though Zoro didn't know how.

He hid his sword behind his back, for all the good it would do him, and started working against the masses to find his way to his hiding place for it when a face stuck out in the crowd. A pale, blue-eyed face that he'd forgotten he was searching for until that moment.

oOo

_Sanji fell back onto his rear a few feet away from Zoro. He gingerly put a hand to his cheek and flinched, eyes growing wide. Zoro saw him look up and around with a panicked expression and an angry red mark that would soon be a bruise on his face and he knew he had to fix it._

_"Sanji, I-I didn't mean to-"_

_"I give up, okay? I've decided- no, you've decided for me," Sanji breathed, covering his injured cheek with his hand and looking up at Zoro with every negative emotion Zoro had ever seen in his eyes. "I won't ask about your past, because obviously that's a losing battle. I don't want to be your friend, so I won't bug you anymore! There! So, stay away from me!_

*** Bokutou - Wooden sword.**

**I kind of have Zoro acting like an idiot in this chapter, but how much can you really expect from a half-plant person?**


	41. Planning

**Y'know, if I had started with Wednesday updates, these would be on Saturday by now. -_- Go me.**

"Cat people? That's stupid, Zoro," Luffy said, using his newfound sense of logic. Zoro didn't know where _he_ got off saying something was stupid when, not ten minutes ago, he had tried to convince them all that he could blow air into a cut on his thumb and inflate like a balloon.

"I didn't say that they were cat people, they were dressed like cats," Zoro corrected, narrowing his eyes at Luffy. "And I think they were working with that stripy-beard guy that was talking to Usopp's teacher."

"Whoa, really?" Usopp gasped, grabbing Zoro's arm. "How would you know that?"

Rolling his eyes, Zoro said, "It may have been the fact that they were ordered to attack me by that guy. That was probably my first clue."

"What was your second clue?" Luffy asked seriously.

"Luffy, he doesn't need a second clue," Usopp said, looking horrified. "They actually attacked you? Are you okay? Did they give you rabies?!"

Zoro scrunched up his nose leaning away from Luffy and Usopp. "No, of course not! I'm not stupid enough to lose to or get rabies from crazy cat guys. Besides, they really didn't do anything before the bell rang and everyone got out of class." In his head, Zoro could hear Sanji scolding him for skipping class.

"So, that guy really does have a secret crew," Luffy said to himself, in complete awe. "That's so cool! Usopp, why didn't you say that weird guy has cat apprentices?!"

"That's not cool, Luffy! Honestly! We need to talk to Nami about this. She can talk some sense into you," Usopp decided, standing from the floor.

Zoro clenched his jaw to avoid saying anything that would get him dragged downstairs and yelled at. As soon as they'd come home from school, without Sanji still, Vivi was flagged down by Chopper. When they asked why Vivi and only Vivi was being requested, Chopper only said Nami needed female help with a problem that she needed two "agents" for and then he and Vivi disappeared into the infirmary. "You guys can do that. I'm gonna take a nap," Zoro told them.

"Seriously? We're finally going to discuss a game plan to get rid of Kurahadol!" Usopp announced.

"We don't need a plan, Usopp, I already told you that."

"Luffy! It's not like you can just headbutt the guy and call that a victory!"

Usopp and Luffy bickered their way out the door, ignoring Zoro like he wasn't there. Just like he wanted. He didn't have any desire to hear it when they came back around to a subject he knew they would come back to. The one where they would blame him and tell him to fix his mistake. He already knew he had to fix it and it only made things worse to hear about it.

Zoro lay flat on the floor, eyes closed, thinking about his predicament. He never thought that he would want Sanji to be his friend, or that he'd want to apologize. But, he had to. In a way, he missed the noise. He missed arguing with Sanji and talking to him and it had only been one day. _How the hell did that happen?_

oOo

For the third time that afternoon, Sanji accidentally cut his finger. He sucked in a breath through his teeth and placed the knife down on the cutting board. The kitchen hands had stopped pitying him after the first time he cut his finger, so he had to wash it and hide it from the chef by himself, before anyone else noticed.

"What's eatin' ya, kid?" The chef snuck up behind him and Sanji jumped, smacking the faucet with the top of his hand in the process.

"Ouch!" he hissed, grabbing his hand close to his chest. "Nothing, sir, nothing is eating me! I'm fine!" Sanji knew he didn't sound very convincing, but he hoped the skinny old chef wouldn't notice. Unfortunately, he never got that lucky.

"You came in this morning after skippin' out on work last night with a bruise on yer face and ya've been messin' up left, right and sideways. I'm not the smartest fella that ever lived, but I can tell when somethin's up, brat." The normally cranky old man crossed his arms and looked down at Sanji with something close to concern in his droopy eyes.

Sanji hesitated slightly, running cold water over his poor cut hand. "Sorry about the mess, sir. Nothing... nothing that can be fixed is eating me."

The chef's bushy grey eyebrows rose. "Honestly?"

"Honestly."

"Then, there's no point frettin' over it. If it can't be fixed, all that's left to do is move on. Now, stop bleedin' on them veggies and start choppin'!"

Sanji balked a little at the chef's eternal sensitivity, but he knew it would be pointless to mention it. "Yes, sir... I'll do my best," he said, drying his hands and returning to his station. He didn't feel much better for the pep talk, but it was something. Still, he hoped the chef would move to the other end of the kitchen in case he made another mistake. The last thing he needed was to get kicked out of the kitchen.

Maybe he was just being over dramatic, like Zoro often accused him of being, but he couldn't help it. Bad memories were floating around his mind, now, all because Zoro didn't want to share his past. _Really_ didn't want to share.

Sanji's vision became unfocused on the outside world again, passing over to memories of angry shouting and pain. The memory of his pain had always haunted him, but it was worse when the memory of being hit was fresh. And, yet again, done by someone he liked a great deal. It was uncanny.

"Ouch!"

"Sanji, if you cut yourself just now-"

"I didn't!"

oOo

"If you aren't absolutely certain he's going to do something crazy, then your plan can wait until I'm okay to return to school," Nami ordered, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"That would be risking Kaya's life!" Usopp shouted indignantly.

"Calm down, Usopp-san. She's only saying 'if,'" Vivi soothed, looking around nervously at the eyes that glanced towards them and blushing. "If you... If you think Kaya-san is in real danger, of course we'll help you sooner rather than later. But, it would be better if we had Nami-san to help us, too."

Nami nodded. "Yeah, that's what I meant. Felons aren't exactly known for being convenient, but I hope he'll wait until we're all at least closer to the top of our game. You sea monkeys need someone there to direct you. No offense, Vivi-chan."

"It's okay, Nami-san, you're a better leader than I am."

"But, I'm the leader!" Luffy exclaimed suddenly. "We could do this, Nami, I'm a good leader! It would be better to defeat the evil kitty quickly! We know that he's a bad guy, so we need to kick his butt!"

Usopp facepalmed. "Luffy, it's not that easy. We do need a plan, but we need one we can still use in case anything happens between now and whenever Nami gets out of the infirmary!" Usopp insists, gesturing around them at the numerous convalescent beds, less than half of them filled.

"Chopper, come over here," Nami called across the room, waving the little boy over and confusing the others. When Chopper got close enough to hear her without her having to shout, Nami asked, "Isn't this the fifth day of my five-day bedrest?"

The doctor's assistant nodded hesitantly. "Well, yes. Technically, it is, but Doctorine said you should try not to move around too much. It would be best to wait until next week to return to school and such."

"Good, then. I'll be back at school tomorrow," Nami said with a nod.

"D-didn't you hear what I said? You should wait until next week, Nami."

The redhead scoffed. "As if. You said five days, so I'm going to school tomorrow."

"Great! So, you feel better enough to help us, Nami?" Luffy asked with Usopp at his shoulder acting as his echo. Nami nodded and Luffy grinned. "Perfect! Tomorrow it is!"

"Wait, is that really okay?" Vivi asked Chopper, but the two of them were being ignored in favor of a discussion about what they all were going to do to Usopp's teacher the next day.

"I-if she takes her medicine a-and doesn't work too hard, I... I suppose it's alright," Chopper mumbled, adjusting his hat. For a minute, he watched the lively conversation between Luffy, Usopp and Nami in silence. Then, he realized something and looked around the room before turning to Vivi. "Ne, Vivi... where are the other two?"

Vivi frowned slightly, looking to the door. "I don't know. Sanji-kun is probably in the kitchen, but I'm not sure about Zoro-san." She paused, glancing down at Chopper. "I think they had another fight, Chopper-kun," she whispered.

"Eh? What makes you think that?"

"Mm, I'm not sure. But, Zoro-san has been in a strange mood and I've hardly seen Sanji-kun all day," Vivi said matter-of-factly. "I was thinking of going to talk to them."

"That's a good idea," Chopper told her. "May I help?"

oOo

Zoro knocked on the door and stood aside so he couldn't be seen from inside the room. He'd tried to sleep, he really had, but he couldn't do it. He was angry at himself, way too much to make sense, for doing what he did. Something that he, apparently, could not get past. He'd been thinking about it a lot, thinking that maybe he'd stirred up some old, bad memories for Sanji. So, he had to do something to fix it. To ease his own mind, if nothing else.

"Yes?" Sanji questioned from the other side of the door, being unusually hesitant and unfriendly. The fact that his door was closed made Zoro a little more aware about how upset he was. Zoro deliberately didn't answer, hoping that Sanji would open the door without identification because he sure as hell wouldn't if Zoro identified himself.

A heavy sigh from the other side of the door had him worried, but a moment later Sanji opened the door just enough to stick his head out. Immediately, his eyes were on Zoro and Zoro's were on him. The bruise on Sanji's face was red and purple, extending up almost to the corner of his eye and covering his cheek bone and Zoro felt badly about it, even though he had a similar bruise caused by Sanji on his chest.

Despite everything he'd been prepared to say, Zoro was without words. He struggled to come up with something as Sanji stared at him, not looking happy or patient in the least. "Uhm... H-hi," Zoro greeted lamely.

Sanji had slammed the door in his face before he even finished his brief, stupid greeting. He hadn't expected much, but he'd really been banking on Sanji's fondness for apologies. Apparently, "uhm, hi" wouldn't cut it.

"Look-" Zoro put his hands on the door, trying to send what he meant to say through it. "About... I didn't mean to... to hit you. I mean, you kicked me first, so it was just... Never mind. I'm really sorry. You..." Zoro trailed off, dropping his forehead against the door. "I really didn't mean to."

Nothing happened. Sanji didn't open the door or even make a sound. Zoro hadn't thought his plan through very well, he realized that, but it should have gone better than that. The stupid, annoying, crazy, touchy-feely dartbrow should have known to accept his apology. It had only been a day and Sanji knew that never happened; Zoro didn't give in, especially not that fast.

But, if that didn't work, he wasn't sure anything else would. He knew he was wrong and he apologized, with words, even. What else could he do? How could he tell if there was even a chance that Sanji would forgive him? _I don't know if I would forgive me, in his place..._

Zoro pushed off from the door and started towards the elevator. He needed to think about the situation some more before he accidentally overstepped. Which he very likely would do. He almost always did, when it came to Sanji.

"Sanji-kun? Are you here?" Vivi's small voice carried surprisingly well in the hall, not long after Zoro turned the corner. There was a pause, just a moment's silence where Zoro realized he'd stopped walking and had resorted to eavesdropping, and then Vivi said, "No, I don't see him. Chopper-kun is the only one with me."

A door opened and Zoro heard Sanji sigh. "Sorry about that Vivi-chan, Chopper. So, what brings you two here?"

"Sanji-kun... Are you okay?" Vivi asked.

Chopper squeaked loudly and suddenly, making Zoro jump. "Doctor! We need a doctor!"

"Calm down, Chopper. I just got through working in the kitchen, these are practically required," Sanji said. Zoro didn't know what he was talking about, but he didn't like it.

"B-but! Your face! Here, let me look at that," Chopper insisted worriedly. Leaning against the wall around the corner, Zoro frowned. Chopper didn't know? It didn't sound like Vivi knew either.

Sanji half-laughed, half-sighed. "Okay, okay. It's just a bruise, though, there isn't much you can do."

"How did you get that, Sanji-kun?" Vivi asked, concerned as always. Zoro frowned further, his eyebrows drawing together. _She really didn't know..._

Sanji hesitated a beat, and then laughed with a bit of a nervous note to it. "Heh, you'd be surprised what accidents can happen in the kitchen. I was doing the dishes and slinging water all over the pl- Ow!"

"SorrysorrysorryIdidn'tmeanto!" Chopper squeaked and Zoro tensed.

"Calm down," Sanji said soothingly. "It's okay, little doc. It's fine, just surprised me. As I was saying, I slipped in a puddle and met the counter," he explained.

Zoro slid down the wall, thoroughly confused. Unless Sanji had somehow injured himself in the way he described since Zoro saw him in the hall at school, Sanji was covering his butt. Maybe it was a reflex, something he used to do before he got to the orphanage. Or, maybe Sanji was saving him.

He realized then that, had Sanji told anyone at all what really happened, which he had plenty of opportunities to, Zoro would have been in trouble. With his friends or the staff or somebody. But, he wasn't. No one had said a word about it. Not even Sanji's manipulative bff, Nami. He was being protected. By Sanji.

Zoro covered his face with his hands, sitting with his knees up in front of himself. Stupid Sanji. He always knew how to get to Zoro. Why or how, he didn't know, but Sanji was pushing all the right buttons to make him feel guilty. Zoro could only hope Sanji didn't know he was doing that.

He paused, dropping his hands in his lap. Sanji didn't know that he was there, listening in. Sanji couldn't be guilting him if he didn't know he was there. So, he was genuinely protecting him from the others' disapproval. _He doesn't hate me..._

It didn't make him happy or even really calm him down, but it gave him hope. He could do this. He could fix it.

**I always have a few things to say about the chapter when I'm in the middle of writing it, but by the end I don't have anything. Huh. Well, I'm watching Dexter right now. I have that. xD I could say that I had planned this whole event quite a while ago. And, no, it didn't go according to plan, but it strayed and ended up where I wanted it to be anyway, ;P**

**Things will be getting annoying to handle here soon. I think I'll tackle the Kuro thing before solving our favorite Seaweed's problem. xP**


	42. A Victory?

**Greetings all! 'Tis I, the deserter! I have returned with a nice long chapter full of (hopefully) enough children doing awesome thing the earn forgiveness!**

**... Yeah, I know it hasn't been nearly as long since my last update to this story as I feel like it has (sense?), but I still ought to apologize. I'm good at randomly disappearing, yo. But, I'm also good at writing compensations. ;)**

Monday morning, as she said she would, Nami got out of the infirmary and almost immediately began catching up on her "work." When Luffy, Usopp and Vivi went to school followed by a gloomy hooded person that she assumed was Zoro, she stayed back and waited in the lobby until Sanji showed up.

"Don't you know it's rude to make a lady wait?" Nami asked, handing her coat to Sanji and holding her arms out for him to put it on her.

Looking around confusedly, Sanji said, "I wasn't aware you were waiting... or even out of the infirmary. Did the doctor okay this?" Regardless, he helped her put on her coat and followed her out the door.

The redhead shrugged. "Who knows? Anyway, why didn't you visit me yesterday?"

Sanji started to answer, then stopped himself. "Well... about that, Nami-san, I did mean to come visit you, but I was-am busy," he said nervously. "I've got things to-"

"You're not seriously lying to me right now? You should know I can see through that," Nami interrupted, slapping Sanji's arm with the back of her hand. "But, as much as I'd love to draw out whatever it is that's got you down and lying to me, whether from you or someone else, we've got some things to do first."

Hesitating just a moment in thought, Sanji asked, "What things? What are you talking about?"

Nami snorted, pulling the sleeves of her jacket down over her fingers. "If you'd visited me yesterday, you'd know."

"Sorry... Would you be kind enough to repeat yourself, Nami-san?" Nami looked at him somewhat sternly. "Please?"

"Of course I will, shut up and let me talk."

oOo

At the school, Zoro was informed of the plan by a slightly bummed Luffy and an anxious Usopp. Vivi had departed earlier, almost as soon as they'd gotten to school, on a "special errand," so, when Zoro didn't understand the plan as Luffy and Usopp explained it, he didn't have a translator. All he got were even more confusing explanations and a headache.

He was glad when Luffy and Usopp moved on to other things, but he only had half a day's peace before one of them came to get him for lunch. He didn't know why they didn't just send Vivi every time. He liked her best, since she didn't make fun of him or try to extort him out of his organs or something.

"What are you so down about, anyway?" Usopp asked, coming out of a raving session about Kaya and all the "cute" things she did. "You've been about as cheerful as a mossy rock today."

Zoro aimed a brief glare at Usopp and huffed. He was a bit surprised that Usopp had noticed, seeing as he'd been talking about Kaya since he first opened his mouth. But, surprise didn't win out over annoyance. "Nothing, Long Nose. Mind your own business."

"If it were really nothing, I wouldn't have to mind your business," Usopp said, exhibiting what Zoro would call typical Nami.

"It really is nothing. Keep that beak in your own affairs."

Usopp frowned, pouting slightly. "Stop making fun of my nose! It's not that weird." He rubbed his nose self-consciously. "Anyway, I'd keep it to myself if you weren't always being a wet blanket! Important things are going on and you're still acting like nothing matters but your own problems!"

"So, that's why you're asking," Zoro realized, raising an eyebrow. "I'm going to help you guys, you don't have to worry about that."

"Oh, that's good. Thank you," Usopp chirped happily, walking along with a little more pep in his step. "I was kind of anxious that you and S- hey, wait a second! You still didn't answer my question!"

Zoro snorted, annoyed. _So much for deflection._ "Yes, Usopp, I did answer your question," Zoro said, feeling perhaps a bit more annoyance than he should have in that situation. "You just didn't accept my answer. If you had accepted my answer instead of questioning me and pushing me to answer differently, we wouldn't have a problem!"

The curly-haired boy blinked. "Uh. Unresolved issues?"

"No! I don't have any issues and nothing is wrong! Leave me alone!" Zoro snapped, stalking off ahead of Usopp. It occurred to him that maybe two words of what he'd said were actually meant for Usopp, and the rest was overflow. A stream of things meant for a person who wouldn't see him.

"That's the wrong way," Usopp called, snickering when Zoro corrected his path. At least he didn't seem to have put the pieces together about Zoro's oh-so-brilliant "nothing."

They went the rest of the way to the lunch room in an enforced uncomfortable silence. Each time Usopp tried to talk, Zoro shushed him harshly. Even when they got to their destination and he'd stopped shushing him, Zoro resolutely ignored Usopp's babbling, hoping he'd catch on and bother someone else.

"Have you guys seen Vivi?" Nami asked before they even sat down.

"In class, but not since," Usopp answered. "Didn't you send her out on some girly spy mission?" Across the table from him, Luffy laughed through a huge mouthful of food.

Nami rolled her eyes at them and turned to Zoro. "What about you? Seen her?"

He had to think for a minute. He thought he saw her once, apart from when they'd walked to school, but he couldn't think of any reason for Vivi to have been on the second floor of the school. _She knows her way around, so she wasn't lost. I guess it wasn't her._ "Nah," Zoro responded finally.

"Damn. She was supposed to be here by now," Nami hissed, violently pulling a section out of her mikan and biting it in half.

"Why?" Luffy asked, after swallowing an insane amount of meat. "We have plenty of time to eat, even if she's late."

"As if this is about food!" Nami sneered, narrowing her eyes at Luffy and looking towards the door. "Come _on_. Either of you," she muttered.

Like she'd somehow magically called him there, Sanji walked through the door, distractedly digging through his bag. Nami made a happy squeak sound and jumped up in her seat, waving him over with an orange slice.

Zor tried to do one of two things; greet Sanji casually or disappear into thin air, neither of which were working. He just kind of stared. He hadn't properly apologized yet, but he really wanted to just pretend that he had, to act normal with Sanji. To not have an awkward lunch hour with all the others sitting around, confused, while Sanji ignored him.

"Did you do it? What did you find out? Come on, Sanji-kun, hurry up!" Nami spoke very quickly, waving even quicker and pulling Sanji into the seat between her and Luffy. Sanji looked around the table nervously. When his eyes landed back on Nami, his lips moved, but words didn't come out. "What's wrong? Are you alright?"

"Uh, yeah," Sanji said, a little rushed as he glanced at Zoro, curling in on himself a bit. Zoro didn't like that at all. "I did what you said, er, it went, uh, well. I guess."

Nami narrowed her eyes and tried to follow Sanji's twitchy gaze. "You guess? Care to fill in the blanks, Sanji-_kun_?" Nami asked suspiciously, stressing her words in odd places and crossing her arms with half a mikan in her hand.

Sanji's wide blue eyes became so damn innocent and doe-like directed at Nami and, surprisingly, she buckled. "I'll tell you later," he mumbled, shrinking back in his seat between Luffy and Nami.

The others all exchanged looks so, to keep up appearances that he did nothing wrong, Zoro did, too. They were confused, he could tell. Actually, so was he. A nervous Sanji was, although not completely unheard of, very strange. He had no reason to be nervous, none at all. Not according to Zoro, anyway.

"Sanji, are you okay? You look like a ghost. Wait- You're not dead are you?!" Luffy balked, grabbing hold of either side of Sanji's face and squishing his cheeks.

"Luffy, don't scare yourself like that! Of course you're not dead, right Sanji?" Usopp asked nervously.

The blond cracked a small smile, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. "No, no I'm not dead," he muttered, glancing up at them both and then turning his eyes back down.

"Really? You haven't been around much and you're really pale. Well, paler," Luffy observed, still messing with Sanji's cheeks.

"Yeah..."

Nami spoke up, pushing Luffy off of Sanji. "Leave him alone, Luffy. I want to be the one to get it out of him," she said, clinging to Sanji and offering him an orange section.

Zoro watched with a frown on his face as their lunch break dragged on and Sanji didn't loosen up. He was mumbly and blatantly ignored any questions he didn't want to answer. He was pouting or something, he must be, because he couldn't be actually nervous. Not around the people that were at the table, he shouldn't be. If he were, he wouldn't have come to lunch just to sit in an awkward silence and be questioned by the others. Yeah.

About ten minutes before they had to leave, Vivi came stumbling into the canteen, both hands on her chest and her eyes wide. Seeming to realize where she was, Vivi slowed her pace and smoothed her hair back, greeting a few people with a half-hearted smile. Only when she got to the table and sat down in the empty seat between Zoro and Luffy did she start to panic again.

"Usopp-san, you were right, Kaya-san is in danger," Vivi whispered urgently, looking around the table at everyone with worry in her eyes. "I overheard K-Kurahadol talking in the teachers' lounge. He wasn't happy at all! The man with the heart-shaped glasses was telling him about one of the 'kids from before' having eavesdropped again." She paused, starting to get ahead of herself and stumbling over her words. "N-Neko-sensei, I mean, Kurahadol got really angry and said they were b-bumping up 'the plan,' that they had to do something before they get caught."

"Do what?" Usopp asked, frozen.

"I'm not sure. They were talking about a van and opportunities and an abandoned something or other. I was listening from inside a closet, so it was kind of muffled," Vivi explained apologetically.

"Then how do you know they're after Kaya?" Luffy asked seriously.

The blue-haired girl looked confused. "We heard them before, Luffy-san, don't you remember? They were talking about kidnapping-"

"A girl, yeah, and we're going to kick their asses for that," Luffy interrupted. "But are we sure that girl is Usopp's girl?"

That was a surprising observation coming from Luffy. Zoro didn't have anything to add except that he may have been that "kid from before" that had them scrambling, but that wasn't an important detail. Nothing was unless it could somehow incriminate Kuro and his accomplice.

"Well, yes. Yes, I think so," Sanji piped up, looking almost like his normal self again. "Earlier, I... I heard some people out back in the staff parking lot... talking about Kaya and her rich parents."

"What, really?!" Usopp and Luffy gawked.

"Why would the staff be talking about Kaya's family's wealth?" Nami asked.

"They probably don't work here," Zoro mentioned. "I've seen a few strange people around the building that don't look like teachers."

The table was strangely silent for a beat before Luffy went, "I knew it! We've definitely got some work to do. C'mon guys!" He slid out of his seat, grabbing the people on either side of him, Sanji and Vivi, and dragging them out.

"I just sat down!" Vivi whined, but she didn't try to stop Luffy and neither did Sanji.

When the three of them were out of sight, Zoro snorted. "What does he think he's gonna do with ten minutes 'til class?"

"Steal my agents, apparently," Nami mumbled sulkily, taking her bag from the back of her chair. "You two will have to do. Usopp, what's Kitty-sensei's classroom number?"

"Uh, three. Three C, actually. Why? What are you going to do?" Usopp stuttered, standing from his set as Nami and Zoro stood from theirs.

Nami smirked. "Help _you_, obviously. I'm going to go work my magic, and you and Zoro are going to stall cat-man until the bell rings, if you see him coming near the classroom."

"Wow, thanks for the heads-up," Zoro said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at Nami. "I thought there was a plan already in action, anyway. What happened to _that_ plan?"

"Scrapped in favor of flying by the seat of our pants," Nami joked, sticking her tongue out. "That plan is still in action. This is just more fun."

"So, wait, what are you going to do?" Usopp asked, excited and scared at the same time.

The redhead shrugged, starting towards the door. "You'll see."

Zoro didn't like the sound of that. Not one little bit.

oOo

"Luffy, do you even know what you're doing?" Sanji asked, following behind Luffy and Vivi as the other boy opened every door they passed. "We could get caught without Nami-san's plan to follow."

"_I_ have a plan!" Luffy announced, slightly miffed but continuing his mysterious search for an unmentioned something. Vivi looked back at Sanji and shrugged, unsure about what, though apologetic all the same. They hadn't yet heard from Luffy exactly what his plan was, but Vivi seemed to think everything would be alright. In Sanji's opinion, Vivi was far too optimistic.

"Would you like to share that plan with us? Or are we to remain in the dark?" Sanji inquired, swinging himself around in the empty hallway.

Luffy laughed quietly, peeking in through another doorway. "If I tell you, you'll try to talk me out of it."

"That is such a comforting thought to have," Sanji groaned, turning and walking backwards. Down the hall, he could hear voices talking laxly, most likely teachers taking their lunch. He would much rather be doing the same, instead of following the "Captain" on whatever fool's errand he'd decided to do.

As they progressed through the school, sounds of a hushed argument, which was never a good thing in Sanji's opinion, echoed around them. Luffy looked back at the other two and grinned. "This is it," he said, shaking his arms at his sides like a violent shiver and sort of prowling forward. "Vivi, I want you to go get a teacher from the lonuge, maybe two or three and bring them to where I am in two minutes."

"W-why?" Vivi asked nervously, hanging back anyway to start off at any moment.

"Shishishi! I'll be doing something that'll make Nami mad!" Luffy bragged, beaming. Vivi and Sanji shared an uneasy look and Luffy laughed more. "Don't worry! Just follow my instruction!"

Vivi pursed her lips and nodded. "Alright. Two minutes?"

"Yup. Sanji you can come with me. I may or may not need help, but you need to stand out in the hall to tell Vivi where we are," Luffy said calmly, raising his eyebrows twice in a playful gesture and turning the corner.

Feeling a headache coming on, Sanji said a short goodbye to Vivi and followed after Luffy. "Help with what, Luffy? You're hanging around certain secret-keeping people too much."

"Zoro's my first mate, what do you expect?" Luffy said nonchalantly.

"But, you- wait, what? I... I was talking about Nami-san," Sanji said, frowning.

Luffy looked back at him and smiled. "I know."

Before Sanji got to say anything about that, deny it or otherwise, Luffy threw a door open and the hushed argument abruptly stopped. "What are you doing, kid? Class ain't in session for another- how long is it?" He recognized that voice and he wanted to yank Luffy away by his collar. Unfortunately, he didn't think he could reverse the situation that easily.

"Weird guy! So you're conspiring together again!" Luffy said, way too loudly for Sanji's liking.

"W-w-what do you mean?! Conspiring-ha! As if! That's so ridiculous, you stupid meddling brat, take your friend and go!" the man called Jango stuttered harshly and quickly, making jerky shooing motions with his hands.

Kurahadol looked murderous. "You children should still be enjoying your lunch, shouldn't you? Run along," he said pleasantly enough with a practiced smile and cold eyes.

"No. I have to stop you," Luffy said firmly, crossing his arms and sticking out his chest. Sanji had never liked confrontations, but having Luffy doing his reckless thing and trying to start something with dangerous grown-ups really rubbed him the wrong way.

"Luffy, this isn't a good idea," Sanji whispered, eyeing Kurahadol and Jango suspiciously. "We should just keep to Nami-san's plan."

"I really must insist that you two get back to the cafeteria," the evil kitty-sensei said, undertones of annoyance and anger in his voice. "You wouldn't want to get in trouble, would you?"

Luffy snorted. "You're the ones who are going to get in trouble!" he exclaimed, pointing with his whole arm at Kurahadol. A vein jumped out in the teacher's forehead and Luffy smirked. "I'll make sure you can't hurt Kaya!"

"Now would be a really great time to let me in on your little suicide mission before something bad happens!" Sanji whispered hurriedly, smacking Luffy's arm repeatedly.

"Quit it, you're acting like Usopp! Just stand out in the middle of the hallway and wait for Vivi," Luffy instructed with a grin.

"I am not! Don't insult me like that!" Sanji snapped indignantly.

Kurahadol pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose with his palm, causing a glare on the lenses to hide his eyes. "So, you're friends with that little liar? I should have figured. That riff-raff doesn't know what he's talking about. His actions and allegations will have serious repercussions, _children_, I strongly advise you to leave him alone in his eccentric lies."

Luffy looked to Sanji, face completely blank. "That... was a lot of big words."

"Don't think too hard about that," Sanji soothed, patting his friend's head as if he were a lost puppy. "The only thing you need to know is that he's insulting Usopp."

Even though he likely didn't understand what all Kurahadol had insinuated, Luffy turned a serious, quietly angry look on him. "Is 'at right?" he asked rhetorically. "No one makes fun of my friends. Usopp may be a liar, but he's not lying about you, I can tell."

"Oh? Do explain what you mean," Kurahadol said in an antagonizing way that made Luffy clench his fists and Jango look between them nervously.

"H-hey! I should get going! Hahahah, nice meeting you again, Cap- old friend, yeah, old friend!" Jango patted Kurahadol on the back loudly and stepped around Luffy, but Sanji blocked him from leaving. "Oi, kid! Move out of my way!"

"You better have a damn good plan, you idiot," Sanji said, shaking his head slowly at no one in particular.

Luffy grinned back at him and counted off from five on his fingers. Sanji, in that moment between three and two, made a mental note to never let Luffy make plans ever again. When Luffy got to one, he crouched and jumped up quickly in front of Kurahadol and headbutted him on the forehead so hard Sanji could hear the collision. A few words that were most certainly inappropriate for a kid his age to use slipped past Sanji's lips as he stomped on Jango's foot so he wouldn't go anywhere and grabbed hold of Luffy's shoulders.

"Ouch! That really hurts!" Jango shouted, hopping on one foot backwards into the room and bumping into Kurahadol, who was standing a half step back from where he had been, leaning back unnaturally.

"Are you alright, Luffy?! Seriously, nobody does that!" Sanji shouted, worried, scolding and slightly amused all at the same time.

Though a thin stripe of blood trickled down from his hair line, Luffy grinned. "I'm okay! I've got a hard head!" he laughed, tapping his own head with his fist to demonstrate.

"What is going on here?!" Two teachers came running up the hall with Vivi leading the way. Sanji looked quickly to Luffy and tried to tell him with his eyes to look like he was in pain, then turned back to the approaching teachers. They assessed the situation for a few seconds without words, appearing unsure about what to do and likely of what had happened.

"L-Luffy-san! You need to go see the nurse!" Vivi panicked, running over to her friends. Turning her eyes to Sanji, Vivi whispered discreetly, "How are we going to handle this?"

"You go with him to the nurse's office, I can handle the rest," Sanji whispered back, nodding at her. Returning to a higher volume, Sanji turned to the teachers who'd come to their aid. "Thank goodness! These men are insane!"

oOo

"Hey, lookouts, any sight of him?" Nami called as she dug through stacks of paperwork without even looking up.

"Nope."

"None."

The redhead smirked. Of course not. She hadn't expected that Luffy would let that creepy kitty slip through his fingers, but she'd posted her troops outside to keep watch just in case. "Tell me if anyone comes near!" she called, practically purring at the paper trail she'd managed to find in just a short time spent searching.

The lease for a boat called "The Black Cat" had been carelessly dropped on the desk, likely by the man with heart-shaped glasses that the others had been talking about. Apart from the small piece of paperwork, there was a printed map, which was poorly done in her opinion, that showed the school as point A and some nameless, abandoned dockside warehouse as point B. It wasn't exactly the treasure trove she'd been hoping for, but it would, perhaps, get the school board thinking a little more about who they hire.

"Whoa, was that Luffy and Vivi?" Usopp's voice was muffled by the closed door and the few feet down to the end of the hall where Nami had posted him.

"I think it was." Zoro's voice was much closer and footsteps started up near the door. "He was bleeding, Nami," Zoro said, right outside the door.

Nami huffed, straightening her small stack of evidence. "Of course he is. Can't ever do anything the easy way, can he?" she muttered to herself, shoving the papers in her bag and leaving the classroom at her own pace.

"I'm gonna go ahead and see what happened," Usopp told them, taking off in the direction Nami assumed Luffy and Vivi had gone.

Zoro started to follow him but Nami hooked her arm around his and held him back. "Oh, no you don't," Nami sang, holding his arm tightly. "Now that Usopp's problem has safely been solved, you and I need to have some _words_, Roronoa Zoro."

"How can you be sure Usopp's-"

"Oh, please, you know as well as I do it's been handled, don't try to change the subject," Nami interrupted testily.

Zoro rolled his eyes. "How can I change the subject when I don't even know what the subject _is_?" he asked, sounding more than a little annoyed by Nami's randomly started conversation. _Good, he should be annoyed._

"You know damn well what the subject is and I'm pretty sure you know what I'm gonna say about it, too." She looked up at him and narrowed her eyes slightly to catch the reaction to her next words. "Sanji-kun told me _everything_, Zoro." He flinched. That meant it was juicy, whatever it was that Sanji was keeping from her. Or, completely terrible. "I thought I'd get your side of the story before I go raising anyone's personal debts to me."

The green haired boy looked at her with wide eyes, then, seeming to realize something, he frowned heavily. "He didn't tell you a damn thing. You're only badgering me because he won't talk to you!" Zoro accused.

"You're in no place to talk to me like that! And, just so you know, I won't have the opportunity to be on your side if I have to find out what happened all on my own!" Nami threatened, becoming a lot more intimidating than a nine-year-old girl should be.

Zoro considered, he actually _considered_ it, Nami could see it in his eyes. But, then he shook his head slowly, looking down at her. "So be it. I'm not gonna talk to you."

"Suit yourself." _Damn! Now I have to figure out a new angle..._

oOo

Luffy laughed at all their faces as the nurse taped a gauze pad to his forehead. "It worked, didn't it?" he asked, still laughing.

"But, you headbutted him! Luffy, no one does that!" Usopp scolded and Nami echoed him.

"Hey, that's what Sanji said," Luffy pointed out, finding that even more amusing. "He should be here soon, right Vivi?"

Before the blue haired girl could respond, the bell rang long and loud. When it finished, she pursed her lips. "If he isn't going to class, like the rest of us should be, then yes. I don't think they'll have much to ask Sanji-kun," Vivi said. "Except maybe about the headbutting..."

At the back of the small crowd that had gathered just inside the entrance to the nurse's office, Nami shook her head. "I cannot believe you headbutted someone," she groaned.

"Can't you?" Zoro asked, not even looking at her.

"Saaanjiiii~ You have to tell us what's going ooooon~!" Luffy called to the noisy hallway. He waited a beat to see if Sanji was going to appear, then proceeded to call for him in a whiny voice. "Sanjiiiiii! Is he deeeead? You have to tell meeee!"

The nurse whacked Luffy on the back of the head lightly with a rolled-up newspaper. "Enough of that shouting. If you're well enough to do all that, you're well enough to go to class."

"Wow, my head really hurrrrts..." Luffy groaned, slouching and holding his head in his hands.

"Uh-huh. Sure it does." The nurse snorted. She didn't believe him at all judging by her tone, but she wasn't kicking him out. However, the nurse turned to Vivi, Usopp, Nami and Zoro with a much less forgiving expression. "I've got no love for those who aren't injured. You all need to get to your respective classes."

"That's probably a good idea," Vivi agreed easily, turning to the others and nodding. "There are certain things that I'm sure we don't want to be connected to, right everyone?" she inquired, raising her eyebrows meaningfully.

Usopp and Zoro exchanged equally uncertain looks, but Nami assured them that, no, they don't want to be linked to certain things that will be coming up very shortly. Luffy, however, was not the least bit concerned, despite the fact that he'd headbutted a teacher.

The nurse ushered all _not_ injured children out of her office and shut the door in their faces, muttering about no respect for proper education. After a small moment of silence, Usopp asked, "So are we done? Is he gone?"

"Definitely. You doubting me, Long Nose?" Nami asked threateningly. Usopp laughed nervously and Nami smirked. "I thought not. Now, hurry off before we're discovered."

The group integrated themselves into the crowded hallways, three of them going one way and the remaining one going in a haphazard direction. It occurred to him that he might not make it to class walking all on his own, but the green-haired straggler would blame that on whoever must keep swapping the classrooms.

As Zoro leisurely walked through the halls with his hands tucked in the pocket on his sweatshirt, he looked around for the stairs. Some small part of him wanted to stick around and watch what came of Nami's digging as well as Luffy's _headbutting_, but he decided against it. He wasn't sure why, it just wasn't a completely appealing idea to him at the moment. Besides, he'd catch the play-by-play later from at least four different people back at the orphanage.

Turning the corner, a flash of yellow caught Zoro's eye in a familiar and cliché sort of way and he glimpsed a smile and a stupid blue-and-white striped scarf and he had to catch him. Before he could even think his name, let alone say it out loud, Zoro crashed into an open door and fell to the ugly tile floor. He scrambled up, letting loose a handful of curse words under his breath and turning quickly in the direction he thought the blond had gone. He looked every which way, but Sanji was out of sight if he had even been there to begin with. He honestly didn't believe that he had been mistaken about who he'd seen, but it wasn't completely out of the question. Admittedly, he'd been a little obsessed. With good reason, but still.

_Now that we're done with Usopp's problem, I've got something more personal to handle..._

**"Something... *takes of sunglasses* more personal to handle!" ... That's how it's playing in my mind. . Zoro's a cheesy drama star. But! The focus of his cheesiness is Sanji so wtf ever~ I am content~ I hope you are toooo~**


	43. I got nothin'

**HAHAH! Take that, Universe! I have finished and uploaded a chapter _on Saturday!_ I'm hoping it won't jinx anything by saying this, but I think my writing mojo is coming back. ;D It's a little short, but not the shortest, and wonderful all the same (to me, anyway). Enjoy~**

Miraculously, Kuro and Jango were arrested in the staff parking lot sometime before school let out. When the boys and Vivi turned to Nami, she just grinned and put a finger up in front of her lips, indicating that it was a secret. They didn't press the issue too much. No matter what illegal method she'd used, they were rid of a dangerous teacher.

As they were heading home, the group of children spotted Kaya hugging Usopp and more than a few words of jest were exchanged when the long nose rejoined their crowd. To say that they were in high spirits didn't quite seem to cover it.

Two members of their group weren't completely in it, though. One was lost in his own thoughts and the other was staring at him, not caring who noticed. No one paid them any mind, used to their rocky dynamic and the after-fight behavior it brought on. During that time, a dramatic charge was growing...

oOo

For the fourth night in a row, Sanji woke up in a cold sweat. The first three nights, he'd had Luffy or Usopp sleep over in his room, but he couldn't have them over every night, that would be suspicious. He might've asked Nami or Vivi to sleep over, but that would be indecent. He wasn't exactly sure why, but girls and boys didn't have sleepovers. It would be especially rude since he was having nightmares every night. It would be wrong to impose that on any of his friends, but he'd felt at least a bit better with someone there, even if they remained asleep while he silently fretted over the terrors of his subconscious mind.

But, he was alone. He hadn't wanted to bother his friends and, even though he knew it was for the best, he regretted it if only a bit. He was never very fond of being alone and, evidently, not very good at it. He could almost never sleep after a nightmare when he was by himself.

Sanji turned over on the bottom bunk, which he realized was a lonely concept, since he didn't have a roommate, and looked out the window hopefully. The sun had not yet risen and didn't even grace the dark sky with its optimistic rays. It was too early, four in the morning at the latest, to get out of bed for the day. The blond cursed his bad luck and groaned, pulling the blanket up to his nose despite how sweaty he was under the covers.

He didn't know how much more he could take. Days were blurring together in his mind and he was forgetting things in his sleep deprived state. In short, it sucked to be Sanji. But, he couldn't help it. He probably wouldn't be having the nightmares, at least not as many of them, if Zoro hadn't crowned himself King of the Buttheads.

A sigh escaped his rigid form and Sanji sat up slowly. He didn't expect to rest easy, not with those thoughts plaguing his mind. So, if only to pass the time, he got up to answer the phantom call of nature.

The hallway was dark and empty, making Sanji shudder slightly as he ventured out into the still of early morning in search of a toilet he didn't need. He walked carefully over the floorboards that had creaked for him during his first stay at the orphanage, just in case anybody else was even remotely awake. He doubted it, but he was considerate like that.

As he opened the bathroom door, a blast of cold air hit him and he shivered violently, liking the night less and less. There were no heat vents in the tiled bathroom, Sanji realized for the thousandth time. He always forgot how cold it got in winter and early spring. That was almost enough to send him back to the comforting warmth of his blankets but the imagined fullness of his bladder kept him from turning back.

Sanji called out to the empty room, asking if there were any spiders as he carefully tiptoed barefoot over the cold tiles. When he passed in front of a mirror, Sanji gasped so hard he felt like he inhaled his own heart. But on second glance, his reflection didn't cause him nearly so much of a start. He was alarmed by the bags under his eyes, yes, but he wasn't so far gone that he was afraid of his own reflection.

The blond went about his business without thinking too much about the darker circle on his cheek below his left eye. Okay, that was a lie, he thought about it a lot. His mind mercilessly returned to similar images in his head, no matter how many times he attempted to dislodge them. Someone above the clouds hated him, Sanji decided, subconsciously touching the bruise on his cheek.

Quickly washing his hands and scurrying to the door, Sanji cleared his head temporarily of all dark and depressing thoughts. He didn't need to "reminisce." He didn't want to. As he got to the door, though, he heard a creak out in the hall and his efforts to stifle his inner horrors died painfully. The first thing that occurred to him was that sleeping in the bathroom might not be so bad. The second, much more rational, thing that occurred to him was that it might just be another kid who woke up way too early at the demand of their bladder.

Still unreasonably nervous, a state that he knew he was in, Sanji cracked the door open an inch and peeked out into the dark hall. Though not much could have been darker than the inside of his eyelids, it seemed he had only needed a bit of time to adjust to the blackness. He could see the carpet and doors definitively, as well as the numbers and nametags on each door. But, one thing he couldn't see was the source of that sound.

His palms and underarms began to sweat, somehow forgetting it was cold. Nothing he feared could possibly be making the noise in the hall, he rationalized, but he was still afraid. He mentally berated himself for it, but he couldn't stop it.

More courageous than he really felt, Sanji stepped out of the bathroom. Albeit slowly, he made his way back down the hall towards his room, keeping a close eye on the path ahead of him and a closer eye on the path behind. If he could just get to his room he would be safe, that's what his mind was telling him.

A floorboard creaked a little further down the hall and Sanji nearly shrieked, knowing he hadn't stepped on a creaky board. He clapped his hand over his mouth as quietly as he could and became one with the wall. He would wait, he told himself somewhat frantically, he would wait until whomever was making the sounds went away. _Wait... the hall dead-ends that way... _Sanji thought, leaning towards the end of the hall that his room was on. That, he was deathly sure, was where the sound came from.

The click of a door opening made Sanji jump and gasp, then his rapid heart beat slowly calmed as he realized somebody was just returning to their room. He sighed heavily and laughed a breathy laugh at his jumpy self, making his way towards his room at a faster, but still shaky pace. He really needed to be getting more sleep than he was getting. Perhaps that would ease his rampant paranoia.

Sanji had almost gotten to his room when his door opened up and a shadow stepped out. A small squeak escaped him and Sanji fought to make no other sound as he scrambled back down the hall and around a corner. He hoped briefly that whomever was in room seventeen didn't emerge right then to see him cowering just outside their door.

Ignoring for the most part his screaming flight instinct, the blond peeked around the corner and focused on the figure coming from his room. Upon examination for more than half a second, the shadow was only about his height, rather than the grown up shape he'd irrationally expected. In fact, he recognized the figure, not from his worst nightmares, but from everyday life. It was Zoro.

He watched with curiosity and anxiety as the older boy looked around and sighed with his back to Sanji's door, grumbling something that Sanji couldn't hear, even in the dead silence. Zoro started down the hall and turned to the end Sanji knew was only about ten feet of hallway and a storage closet. A minute later, Zoro passed through to the other side of the same dead end, where there was a laundry and a thermostat. He was directionally hopeless all the time, Sanji mused, despite his tumultuous feelings towards the boy in question.

Before Zoro could circle back, Sanji tiptoed quickly and efficiently to his door, turned the knob, opened the door and spun himself around it to press the door closed again with his chest, effectively muting any sound it may have made from the comfort of his room. Sanji leaned his forehead against the door and sighed, willing his pulse to slow enough that he could hear anything other than his heart pounding in his ears. The dull thudding of bare feet in the hall passed by his door and Sanji held his breath, but they kept on going. After a moment or two, Sanji could hear nothing at all.

Leaning against his door in the faint light of too-early morning, feeling his muscles devoid of sleep and his eyes wide and incapable of closing it seemed, Sanji laughed. A humorless sound bordering on insane, brought on by lack of sleep among other things. "Stupid Marimo..."

oOo

Over the next few days, Sanji didn't manage to get much more rest. He was fairly certain he was going to go insane, any day now. But he was more aware of things around him than he had been before, perhaps the result of a manic second wind. He noticed that, despite their recent victory, everyone was back to an almost tense disposition. And he had observed that maybe, just maybe, it was his and Zoro's fault. But that was a hunch at best and he didn't want to go around assuming things.

Then, there was the problem himself. Zoro was acting weird. Moreso than he normally did. He kept looking at Sanji, opening his mouth and taking a breath as if to say something and then awkwardly looking away again. If he weren't so damn tired and upset, Sanji might ask what was bothering him, but the way they were at present, he couldn't be bothered to. He was the one who was supposed to be upset, not Zoro, so whatever was eating at him, Sanji would do nothing to draw it out, even if he were mildly curious. _If_.

Nearly a week after their triumph at school, Sanji was heading downstairs to help make lunch when, for the first time since who-knows-when, he was in an enclosed space with no one but Zoro. It was suffocatingly awkward, standing there at the foot of the third floor steps with Zoro standing at the top of the second floor steps, staring at him like he'd grown a second head since their last encounter.

"... Hey," Zoro said in a tone that didn't sound like a greeting.

Sanji staunchly refused to respond.

Showing a few outward signs of agitation, Zoro tried again. "Uh, so, what's up?"

The blond shook his head and shrugged slightly. He didn't feel like speaking to Zoro, he wasn't ready for that.

"I've..." Zoro hesitated, looking down and around. "I've been looking for you." He turned his eyes back to Sanji and the uncertainty in his gaze became all the more apparent. "I wanted to talk to you. There's... there's some things I have to tell you."

Something like apprehension blossomed in Sanji's gut and he shook his head. "I'm busy right now," he said, taking the first wobbly, blundering step towards getting around his human obstacle. Zoro caught his arm and Sanji flinched so hard he was almost sure it wasn't just him, everything else must be shaking too.

"Whoa!" Zoro held up his hands, signaling innocence. "Sorry! I wasn't trying to hurt you, I just-"

"I already said we aren't friends, you don't have to keep apologizing," Sanji told him, grimacing at his own words and taking the steps two at a time to get away. "Nothing short of a miracle will-"

"I'll tell you everything!" Zoro shouted, far too loud in the concrete stairwell.

The words echoed painfully around them, buzzing in Sanji ears. It took him a few seconds to get past the volume to the meaning and then Sanji turned, looking up at Zoro. The older boy's hands were in fists at his sides, his shoulders shrugged up to his ears and his back to Sanji. He hadn't wanted to say those words, Sanji noticed. "... No, thanks."

oOo

There was nothing in his mind that made sense to say to that. Not that he'd always stuck to what made sense, but nothing even came close enough to be worth saying. He'd played his trump card and it didn't work. Unless this was some sadistic extortion technique, which Zoro doubted, Sanji didn't want to know about his past anymore. Didn't _care_ anymore.

Vaguely, in the corner of his mind, Zoro heard Sanji mutter something else and depart but for the life of him he couldn't tell what. He couldn't focus enough in one direction or another to listen or speak or move. _Why didn't it work?_ repeated in his head with varying emotions attached to it, none of which eased his troubles and offered a solution. He didn't understand. It was supposed to work. Sanji was supposed to be overjoyed and they would fall into their casual banter and maybe even forget Zoro's long-shot offer, but if it didn't get forgotten he would have told Sanji. It would have worked. Why didn't it?

Somehow, Zoro ended up on the second floor again, pacing the halls with a purpose he didn't exactly feel. What was he supposed to do? The only plans he'd come up with had failed miserably. He thought he knew Sanji, thought he could predict the blond's reaction to his simple-minded plans. So much for that one.

"Zoro!"

"What?" he grumbled, not even processing who was calling him, just that they were interrupting his train of thought.

Luffy walked up to him calmly, lacking his usual energy and his trademark grin. "You hit him, right?" Luffy asked bluntly, not accusationally, but Zoro heard it that way.

He felt himself squirm slightly under the unblinking stare of a normally unimposing, innocent child. "I didn't mean to," Zoro defended.

The raven-haired boy nodded once. "I know," he said, still not smiling. For a moment he was silent, but then he inclined his head towards Zoro and asked, "Do you need help?"

Zoro came up short. "Help...? With what?"

"Winning him back," Luffy stated, a slow grin spreading across his face. Even though it wasn't that conniving smirk that Nami would wear saying something like that, Zoro still flushed indignantly.

"Don't put it like that, idiot!" he scolded, turning away so he didn't have to look at that way-too-innocent, all-knowing expression.

Luffy raised his eyebrows, tilting his head to the side drastically. "Put it like what? Was that wrong?" Luffy asked, his doe eyes stopping Zoro from snapping about how very wrong it was.

"Never mind. I don't need your help, Luffy," Zoro said, perhaps a bit sharper than he meant to, but Luffy didn't seem to notice.

"As long as you're not thinking of giving up."

Luffy looked at him seriously and Zoro scoffed. "Of course not. I don't just _give up_."

The grin on Luffy's face stretched so far it could've given the sun a run for its money. "Just checking!" Luffy chirped, bouncing over and patting Zoro on the back with three loud claps. "I couldn't have my first mate and my cook not getting along!"

"Huh? What does that even mean?"

"C'mon, let's go see if dinner's done!"

**This'll be exciting~! I feel like something strange is about to happen, something, perhaps, unsuspected by you, the reader. Perhaps. xD Mystery! Intrigue! Chicken!**


	44. You'll see

**Well. It's Saturday. Unless you're reading this tomorrow. . Or, well, any other day, but, anyway! I have updated on Saturday.**

**Now, I'll tell you what (and try to make it brief because I know I type a lot yeah bear with me), I received inspiration on a platter today. I didn't think I would, but I have, thanks to the FOUR HOURS spent WAITING for an ill-timed St. Patty's day parade. I don't know how much of it I can incorporate/build on, but I will do my best. And YOU. You right there! Well, you just read. ;P That's why I made this, silly.**

Makino sat at her shared desk, working through a stack of papers that, to her great displeasure, were mostly no adoption forms. She'd paid some bills, ordered more supplies like the nurses asked for and she'd even gone through some school forms that the residents of the orphanage brought to her with no one else to bring them to.

She had set a certain goal for the day, one that she intended to keep to as best she could until the phone call she was expecting came in. There was a lot of work piling up that the temps and volunteers couldn't do that she was trying to catch up on. So many things required her attention and, once she got that phone call, it would be the ill-tempered caretaker's shift and she would have no more opportunity to progress in her work until tomorrow morning. There was plenty that she needed to do, so she-

A knock at the door called Makino's attention and she looked up, not faltering in scrawling her signature on a transfer authorization. One of the volunteers, a nice young lady who had been working there every weekend for a few months, opened the door and peeked in, holding a cordless landline to her chest. "It's that time again, Makino-san," she said with a smile.

"Which line is he on?" Makino asked, picking up the separate phone off its cradle on her desk.

"Line two. He doesn't sound very happy, ma'am."

The older woman laughed wearily. "He never does," she said in good humor, putting the phone to her ear and answering line two. "Hello?"

"Makino."

"How are you, sir?" Makino asked politely, trying to counter-balance his plain greeting.

"Busy as alw-" There was a beat of near silence with only a mumbled something in the background that was probably him talking to someone on the other end. "As always," he finished.

"I see. I suppose you just want to hear how he's doing?"

"..."

Makino laughed nervously, always irked and strangely unnerved by that man. "Alright, then. Getting right down to it, he's doing well in school, not the best, but better. To my understanding, he and his friends have had quite a time at school, but they get through it just fine."

"Is he healthy? Not been sick?"

"...Well, I believe so. He's part of a rambunctious but caring group, so I'm sure I would have heard if-"

"Miss Makino, be honest with me, please. Has he had any promising interviews?" the man asked, interrupting her very firmly in a way that was equally surprising each time he did it.

The caretaker paused to think that over. "I shouldn't think so. Luffy-chan, one of his friends, told me that all of them have made a pact, so to speak, to throw all their interviews. In any case, he's had poor luck with such things..."

Silence on the other end let Makino know he understood.

"Is that all, sir?" Makino inquired after a sizeable pause.

"No. Well... Is he... Is he..." He struggled to find the words.

"'Okay?'" Makino supplied.

"...Yeah."

Smiling kindly despite the man's apparent aversion to feelings, Makino replied, "He's in good health, sir. Just fine-"

"That's not what I asked," he interrupted sharply.

Makino bit her lip, swallowing a retort that would be most un-ladylike, even if it was true. "I'm not sure what to say. A child like him is going to have problems. We didn't expect him to be completely fine, and you shouldn't either. He is a troubled child, sir, and he's made remarkable progress." She paused again, taking a deep breath. "All considered, he's doing well."

"Should I come over?"

"It isn't necessary, I don't think. Of course, if you want to, we'd love to have you. We could set up an interview room and-"

"No, thank you, Miss Makino. It's still too soon."

Makino pursed her lips. She'd go along with his wishes, but that didn't mean she agreed with them. "For him, or for you?"

There was a quiet, grunted sound that may have been a good-bye, and then he hang up with a loud click.

oOo

"So you're on board with this?" Nami asked, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Sanji countered, taking a seat on one of the folding chairs at the mysterious folding table that Nami had gotten into her room without a soul noticing.

"Well, because I'm very good at this. I've been called intimidating on more than a few occasions." The small redheaded nine-year-old grinned at him and Sanji didn't doubt her a bit. She could intimidate the crap out of anyone if she set her mind to it.

From their perches on the top and bottom bunks respectively, Luffy and Usopp laughed. "This'll be so much fun!" Luffy chirped, clapping his hands loudly. "Ten beli says Nami gets her way!"

"Oi, nobody told me we were betting on this!" Usopp squawked, looking up at Luffy, then at Sanji and Nami. "I don't want to bet! You always take my money whether I win or lose," he shouted sorely, pointing at Nami.

She stuck out her tongue and winked at him. "Well, duh. That's what makes it fun. Besides, you should've known there would be money involved, Usopp, since I'm here. Don't be such an amateur."

Just as the table was being set up, Vivi strolled in holding Carue. She raised her eyebrows at everyone in the room, surprised, but she accepted it quickly. "Hello everyone. What's going on?" In her arms, Carue quacked to emphasize the question.

"Checkers," all four answered at once.

The blue-haired girl made a small "o" shape with her mouth. "That sounds fun. May I participate?"

"Sure, you-"

"Before you get roped into this," Usopp interrupted, jumping off the bed with his hands up and shaking side-to-side in a negative gesture. "There'll be betting!"

"Hey!" Nami snapped, whacking him with a rolled-up paper she'd had on the table. "Shut your trap, Long Nose!"

Vivi giggled, petting Carue like a cat. "It's alright. I don't mind a little gambling. It's kind of exciting, don't you think?"

Usopp's jaw dropped while the others, particularly Nami, laughed jovially. "See, Usopp? Even Vivi's okay with it!" Luffy announced, swinging his feet off the edge of the top bunk. "You shouldn't complain so much about little things like this."

Begrudgingly, Usopp joined their little wager. Somehow, Sanji noted internally, if Vivi was okay with something, that meant it was perfectly fine by everyone's standards. It was odd, but nevertheless amusing. Plus, it brought their total up to fifty beli, which would buy a bag of cotton candy, or so said the majority of the children in that room.

"I challenge the winner," Luffy said loudly, raising his arms up and kicking his legs so no one could not look at him as Sanji and Nami began their match.

"I look forward to beating you all," Nami sang, making her first move.

"This'll get old fast if you keep saying stuff like that, Nami-san," Sanji told her, moving a piece after small consideration. "Besides, wouldn't you get tired of winning?"

The redhead snorted. "Silly boy. I never get tired of winning. Double-jump!"

Inside of three minutes, Nami had him beat. Sanji couldn't say he was shocked; Nami was very good at many things. But, the speed with which she took his money was very unsettling. It made him wonder why he had agreed to put money on their match.

Luffy shouted about it being his turn and jumped down from the top bunk just as there was a knock at the door, though it was already wide open. Everyone turned to look at the empty doorway and quickly became confused.

"Whoever it is, show yourself or I'm charging a fine," Nami said casually, setting up the checker board for her next opponent without paying much attention to the doorway apart from her initial glance.

A familiar annoyed groan came from just outside the door and, a second later, Zoro rolled into view, spinning on his right foot with his shoulder against the wall. "Why's everyone in here? There some meeting I don't know about?" Zoro asked, giving Nami a short glare.

"Nah, we're playin' checkers," Luffy told him with a grin and raised his eyebrows in the most suggestive way Sanji had ever seen Luffy do anything. "It's my turn, but you can go next if you want. Why don't you sit on the bed next to Sanji?"

Now that was peculiar. Not just because Sanji was already sitting next to Usopp, but because Luffy sounded a heck of a lot like Nami. That was not something Sanji had ever expected to hear. It was equal parts amusing and disturbing.

"Hey, I want to go next! I got here before Zoro did," Usopp whined, despite the fact that he had argued about having to play against the winner, which would most likely be Nami.

"Now don't everybody get in a tizzy, I'm here all day," Nami laughed, counting her money while Luffy sat down opposite her, waiting.

As they began their match, Zoro moved over to the bunk bed, grumbling about something that Sanji couldn't quite hear. He hovered at the end of the bed by where Vivi was standing, eyeballing the small space between Usopp and Sanji. Vivi smiled up at him and Zoro seemed to snap back to himself, smiling stiffly back and leaning against the bedpost rather than sitting.

_Strange_, Sanji thought. He couldn't be sure why he thought it was strange, it just was. Had he expected something from Zoro? Surely not. He had given up on Zoro, there was no more reason to expect anything from him. Not in that way. But, he had thought Zoro would do something, try harder, maybe. He'd tried some, yes, with his magnificent proposal the other day, but if Zoro was so gosh-darn set on being friends with him- No. He didn't care. Never mind. He declined for a reason.

"Aaaand, I win. Again. Next one in line to lose their lunch money~!" Nami stacked up all the checkers in a boasting manner and winked at Luffy. "I'll expect you to pay me within the day~!"

The raven-haired boy looked like he was completely confused as to what just happened. If Sanji had been paying any attention to the game, he would've filled Luffy in. As it was, he let Vivi tell Luffy how he lost.

oOo

When Usopp hopped up to take Luffy's place at the playing table and Luffy climbed up onto the top bunk, Zoro eyed the spot next to Sanji. It was stupid of him to be afraid of occupying that space, but he just couldn't do it. He couldn't sit there and not apologize, he was sure, and he couldn't very well apologize in front of the others. Then he'd have to tell them the reason he was apologizing or suffer the consequences. But, telling them would bring consequences as well. Worse ones, he knew.

As he deliberated, he heard Vivi clear her throat delicately. He looked over at her and she smiled at him. "Go ahead," she urged kindly. "It can only help." He wondered how much she knew, but he didn't question her.

Zoro moved as casually as he could to sit down a foot to Sanji's right. He noticed the blond stiffen and lean away, but he pretended he hadn't. There was no sense in him getting aggravated about it, since that tactic didn't work so well on Sanji. Instead, Zoro pretended to be focused on the game.

Vaguely registering Usopp's illegal moves and Nami's shouting, Zoro tried to think of something to say. He wasn't so very good at that, but he thought it would help. Generally, people didn't get or appreciate his silences, even with all the feeling they sometimes held. Despite his knowledge of that for nearly a third of his life, Zoro didn't think he'd gotten any better at voicing what he wanted to say.

"Ne, Sanji." Luffy's head appeared from above, startlingly close and without warning.

Sanji gasped and jumped, knocking foreheads with Luffy in the process. While Sanji clutched his forehead and leaned forward, groaning in pain, Luffy seemed unfazed. "What?" the blond asked with no shortage of attitude.

"I just wanted to know if you wanted to stay in my room tonight. Do you? 'Cause sleepovers are fun and you could wake me up for breakfast." Luffy sounded like he was very sure that Sanji was going to say yes. Perhaps, under different circumstances, he would have. But, Zoro saw when Sanji's eyes flickered towards him and away just as fast with the first hint of a distasteful look on his face.

"No, thanks," Sanji answered in a very polite tone. Zoro was sure Sanji knew he was watching closely, hoping. "I don't feel like it."

"Bull." It took Zoro a minute to realize he was the one that had spoken. He hadn't meant to, but there wasn't much he'd said lately that he had meant to say. He really needed to fix that.

Most everyone was looking at him, but Sanji's eyes were closed tightly, his head not even turned to Zoro. The blond took a very slow, very deep breath and, eyes still closed, asked, "Why? In what way is it 'bull?'"

For the life of him he didn't know why he looked around, but he did. And Zoro saw the tense, knowing faces of his friends, the "why did you do that"s etched into them. His pride made a valiant effort, but, perhaps for the first time in his life, he set it aside. "I didn't mean to say that," he said slowly.

"What, then?" Sanji finally looked at him and, of all things, he looked disappointed. Zoro couldn't handle that.

"Nothing. It would have been a good thing and that's all I'm saying," Zoro explained quickly, though he couldn't actually fathom any possible outcome of a sleepover being even remotely good at the moment.

Sanji sighed through his nose, rubbing his knees with his hands. He looked carefully around at his friends and smiled a strained smile. "Don't look so stiff, everyone, it's fine. Continue your game, Nami-san, Usopp," he said politely, standing up. "I'm gonna go down to the kitchen and see if they need any help."

_Well, crap._ "Hold up for a second, Dart- uh, Sanji."

As Zoro got up and followed Sanji out, he heard Nami and Luffy behind him telling him not to mess up, and Vivi and Usopp already whispering about their concerns. None of them had enough faith in him, he decided. Then again, maybe he deserved that.

"I'm really busy right now." Sanji didn't even look over his shoulder as he walked down the hall, but Zoro could not be deterred.

"Just wait, okay? Please?" Zoro had to do his best to add on the "please." No matter how sorry he was, it was still difficult to express it with such touchy-feely words as "please."

He caught up to Sanji quickly but he didn't have a chance to reach out before the blond turned to him, eyes rolling. "Leave me alone. Really," Sanji said flatly, shaking his head.

"I refuse." Zoro crossed his arms over his chest. "You go ahead and do what you gotta do, but just so you know, I'm not giving up," Zoro told him resolutely, somewhere between aggressive and neutral.

"Not giving up what? Following me around?" Sanji asked, appearing to be genuinely confused. Zoro wasn't sure if he exactly bought that, but whether or not the blond was really confused, he was listening and that's what Zoro wanted.

Zoro closed his eyes briefly, not much more than a blink, and then he looked seriously at Sanji. "I'm not giving up trying to be your friend. I don't know why, because you're annoying as hell and you and I hardly have a thing in common, but I'm not going to just give you up. I'll show you. I promise."

In his head, he decided that would be the best point to end it on, to just turn and go back into the room with his other friends dramatically. But, he couldn't very well do that when Sanji was giving him that _look_. That light blush, with his small, confused frown and big, curious eyes.

"W-well... We'll just have to see about that," Sanji said, flustered. And with that, he hurried down the hall, leaving a grinning Zoro in his wake.

**I have a very not-sneaking suspicion that that was very cheesy of me to do. That last bit. The first part, however, was very intriguing, wasn't it? You all will be able to learn who it was on the phone, say... About the time I do. Cabbages.**


	45. Obstinate

***In a dramatic voice* Behold! At long last, thyne thirst for little baby ZoSan shalt be quenched!**

**Ahaha, or something like that. Maybe it hasn't really been a long time, but I feel like I've been totally dragging and I'm sorry about that. I have been fighting what seems to be an inevitable hiatus, but I ain't giving up yet. ;P I'll try and finish every in-progress document I have and from then on I shall try to control my thirst for new. Maybe. Perhaps. Hopefully. But, until such a time as I can properly manage that, I have this.**

It was Wednesday before they had a new teacher in the school and, until that day, everyone in class three-C was on cloud nine. In fact, the whole school seemed a little happier for the lack of corrupt teachers. But, despite his hopes that the world would be a better place for their persistence, Zoro knew it couldn't last. Not that it affected him much, since it was Usopp's teacher that was being replaced, but he would definitely hear about it whether he wanted to or not. Not to mention Luffy and Sanji were in the same grade as Usopp, so if the new teacher was bad, he'd be hearing at least three different sides of it.

_Damn, I didn't think of that before... Today is gonna suck._ Zoro sighed, pondering skipping lunch in favor of napping on the roof, that way he wouldn't have to hear about the new teacher. Unless, of course, their new teacher was extremely this or that and they searched him out. Then that would _really_ suck. But, the roof was better than a direct ambush in a stuffy cafeteria. Though, maybe he wouldn't mind if a certain person decided to talk to him, even if the subject was less than interesting... But that didn't mean he would sit and listen to all of them.

"This is really exciting," Luffy was saying as he came up next to Zoro in the hall. "Do you know what's gonna happen today?"

_How could I know that?_ "Not really. What's exciting?"

Luffy blinked and a slightly different grin dawned on his face. "The new schedules! Don't you have a new schedule, or is it just us?" Luffy bumped shoulders with Zoro in his excitement and laughed when Zoro raised an eyebrow at him. "I guess not, huh? Well, Usopp thinks it's cool and so does Sanji. So, you have to be happy, too!"

"You were much more tolerable before you met Nami," Zoro observed aloud, causing Luffy to laugh again and shake his head. "Why do I have to be happy that you guys get uprooted and rearranged in the middle of nothing? That has nothing to do with me."

With that smarter-than-usual expression that was coming out way too frequently for Zoro's comfort, Luffy smiled at him. "If you heard me, then you know exactly why."

"That doesn't make sense! It only proves my point about you being better before Nami-"

"What's that about me?" The redhead magically appeared on Zoro's other side wearing the sleaziest grin a little girl could have. "Good things, I hope."

Luffy laughed, tossing his head back in that carefree way that Zoro could never understand. "Only the usual things, Nami. Oh, that reminds me! Did your schedule get changed around, too?"

He switched gears so fast, even Nami couldn't quite keep up. "What? Like, for school? Why would it have gotten changed?" Nami asked, her expression a strange mix of annoyance and curiosity. Zoro figured she didn't like that Luffy had some information before she did. She cut a look at him like she could tell what he was thinking and sneered. "Don't go gettin' all smug, _Marimo_."

Zoro narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't call me that."

"Why? 'Cause only Sanji-kun can call you that?" Nami asked, feigning innocence.

"-and she pulled us aside as we were passing through and said we had to go to the office in school today to get our new schedules, even though it's the middle of the week, or something like that," Luffy was saying. He didn't look like he cared or even noticed they weren't paying attention. "So, we all have different classes today. Makino told me why, but I can't remember."

Before Zoro could come back at her with an insult or a threat or maybe just denial, Nami looked over at Luffy. "Excuse me, what? You can't _remember_? Absolutely hopeless..." She sighed, putting her hand to her forehead and shaking her head. "You said Sanji-kun got switched around, too, right? I'll just ask him if you can't come up with anything in the next five seconds."

"Ehh, Namiiii~!" Luffy whined, letting his head roll around on his shoulders lazily. "I can't remember that faaaast!"

"Of course you can't..." She rolled her eyes, hanging back a bit. "I'm gonna go find Sanji-kun, then. Don't do anything too stupid," Nami said cheerily like a normal person would say "see you later."

Luffy laughed loudly, apparently in very high spirits for the day. "You're so weird, Nami!" he called after her, laughing the whole time.

Zoro could only shake his head. "That girl is gonna be one hell of a witch when she grows up," he grumbled, hitching up his backpack as he parted ways with Luffy.

"She's a good person. Oh, and Zoro?" Luffy stood only a few feet away, splitting the progress of the busy hall. "Remember to be happy. You should try to care, even if it's only pretend. Okay?"

The younger boy's face was so light-hearted and serious at the same time, Zoro didn't know what to make of it. Sometimes the simpleton decided to get all sophisticated and Zoro always ended up thrown for a loop, even if he did sort of know what he was talking about this time. "...Where do you hide that Luffy all the time?" Zoro asked and all he got in response was a grin and a wave.

oOo

When lunch time rolled around he was still undecided. But, his decision was made for him when a sheepish Vivi turned up outside his classroom with a reluctant lunch invitation. "Sorry, Zoro-san," she had apologized. "They aren't very patient today."

Zoro grumbled to maintain his character, but he inwardly resigned to it. If he had to go, he'd go. It wasn't such a big deal, if he was being honest. Of course, they sent Vivi to gently force him into it, even if he didn't wanna go, but he had a feeling that more than one of his friends knew he'd go anyway. Which sucked.

He'd been telling himself during class that he didn't care, but all the while an image of Sanji talking interestedly to him kept pulling him back to square one. And logically he knew that, after "I'll tell you everything" didn't work, there should be no limits on what he would do. But being talked at and expected to care about something completely unrelated to him was not one of his favorite things. It was boring. But, he'd do it.

"You seem a little pensive, Zoro-san." Vivi looked at him sideways, frowning quizzically. "Is that just my imagination, or...?"

"No, uh... no, it's just your imagination," Zoro told her. Briefly, he wondered where Vivi learned some of the words she used, but his brain told him he had more important things to be thinking about. "I was only thinking about... eh, this science project coming up."

Vivi's eyebrows shot up, but she didn't say anything. She was probably just surprised by his answer, Zoro figured, but he had the feeling she didn't believe him. Which he couldn't blame her for, since he hardly spoke of school things, even when they were in school. He really should've thought of a better excuse.

The chatter in the halls slowly died down as Zoro followed Vivi. If he didn't know better, he'd say it was taking an especially long time to get to the cafeteria, but it always took about that long when he went by himself, so he shrugged it off. Until they went up stairs. That was a little strange. But, Vivi surely knew where she was going, so he followed her silently. Then they went through a hallway he didn't recognize, one with scarcely painted stone walls. And then through a narrow path that hardly resembled the wide, olive-green main hallways. After a while, he wasn't sure they were in the same building.

"Vivi," he said to get her attention. When she looked at him, he cleared his throat. "Are you lost?"

Only a moment of silence separated his question from her laughter. "M-me? You're asking me if I...?" She broke off into giggles again, hiding her mouth with both hands. "Oh, Zoro-san, my apologies... That was too much, I'm sure. I didn't mean to... react that way," Vivi told him, wiping her eyes carefully. "Uhm, to answer your question, no, I am not lost. I-I guess I forgot to say? Luffy-san said we'd meet on the roof today."

_... Huh? Why would he-_

"He was saying something strange like 'just in case we're short one.'"

Zoro's palm met his forehead so forcefully, he felt himself starting to get a headache. "Why the hell did he ever want to be friends with Nami anyway...?!"

oOo

Sanji had never been on the roof before. Sure, he'd thought about it, many times even, but he'd never actually gone up. And now, they were having casual lunch conversation on the roof like two stories made no difference.

"I'm glad about it!" Usopp announced for the fifth time, taking an enthusiastic bite out of his crustless sandwich. "I only have one class by myself, now, exactly as I planned!"

Nami snorted at him as she combed through her hair with her fingers. "I'm sure that's exactly what the school board was going for when they rearranged your entire grade," she said almost distractedly.

While Sanji and Luffy laughed, Usopp just huffed. "Whatever. It still worked out for me," he told them stubbornly.

"That makes one of us," Sanji told them, trying his hand at cryptic. The others looked at him, waiting for him to continue and he shrugged. "I just don't like the change is all."

"Why not? It's really fun!" Luffy insisted, putting down his lunch just long enough to poke Sanji's cheeks so it looked like he was smiling. "Even though I only have one class with you and two with Usopp... but, it's still fun, 'cause I can make some new friends! And my teachers are funny when they aren't being boring."

It was good that they were having fun, Sanji knew, but his rearranged schedule was nothing impressive. He didn't like it much, especially after he'd heard about the "loaner" that would be his new teacher instead of being Usopp's. After a few times going against the school board's crappy excuses for teachers, he was not much a fan of new teachers. He was not looking forward to it.

"Is something wrong, Sanji-kun?" Nami asked, standing, dusting off her skirt and reseating herself. "This morning you were perfectly fine with everything." She had a discontented look on her face and it seemed like she was mumbling to herself. According to past experience, that did not bode well.

"Not... really? I mean, this morning I thought I was going to have all the same classes, just in a different order, but now I know I'm gonna have a new teacher," Sanji explained slowly, letting the others form their own thoughts about that. "That's all that has changed since this morning."

Luffy and Usopp shared an "ohh" moment, but Nami just looked suspicious. "Is that really all?" she asked, tilting her head in a weird way. _Great. She's onto me._

As Sanji was about to reiterate that yes, that really was all, the door to the roof opened and Vivi skipped over to them, followed by a most certainly not skipping Zoro. Saved and doomed at the same time. The universe was not on his side.

"Hey, does that look like avoidance to the two of you?" Nami asked as if Sanji wasn't sitting right next to her.

Usopp nodded interestedly. "It does. What do you think, Luffy?"

"Mahh... I don't know what that means," Luffy pouted, unfolding his legs out in front of himself and leaning back on his hands.

Without missing a beat, Nami nodded. "I'll take that as a yes. What are you hiding, Sanji-kun?"

"Eh? You're hiding something?" Vivi asked, appalled. She sat down between Usopp and Luffy and fluidly joined their side of the suspicion.

The blond sighed, hanging his head lazily. He was trapped. Chances were, Nami wouldn't give up and the others would start suggesting things that Sanji might be keeping secret that would be offensive and completely off the wall. He was not so dead-set on keeping his information from them as to subject himself to that. "Okay, fine. I'll tell you what I heard."

Zoro sat down roughly an arm's length away from him and the others all leaned in like they expected Sanji to whisper. Or maybe run. He was tempted to not let them down, if that was the case.

"It... may not be true," he began. "I only heard this a little while ago from an unreliable source-"

"Usopp?!"

"Hey!"

"No, not Usopp. Someone even less reliable." He raised his eyebrows significantly. "Anyway, everyone was talking about the weird timing for being switched around and that shady kid told me... Okay, it sounds stupid, even in my head."

"That's what he told you?" Luffy asked, raising an eyebrow.

Nami leaned across the oval of concrete between her and Luffy and smacked him on the knee. "Of course it isn't! Stop interrupting so I can hear this."

Sanji made the mistake of looking over at Zoro while Nami and Luffy bickered before he could resume speaking. Curse his luck, Zoro looked like he wanted to say something to him. And, if he said something, there was a pretty good chance they would argue. So, to fix that would-be problem, Sanji blurted, "The new teacher is actually from the high school next door."

Everyone balked. _Crisis averted._

"Well... Th-that's what I heard, anyway," Sanji added uneasily. "That kid- I can't remember his name right now- he said something about the school board being cheap and one of the high school teachers having gaps in their schedule. So, we got moved around to suit that teacher, whoever it is." He looked around at his friends and the expression consensus appeared to be confused. "That's, uh, that's all. I don't know anything else about it."

Of all the blank faces, Vivi's was the first to take on a different theme. "That's good, isn't it?" she asked cheerily. "Someone who has been teaching for a while at another school is probably a better person, right?"

He hadn't thought of that. "I guess," Sanji said thoughtfully. Then, considering Vivi's words further, he nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense. In that case, I should be more excited."

"Isn't that what I said?" Luffy asked, the conversation up until that point thoroughly lost on him.

Sanji shook his head. "Not really."

"Why would a high school teacher agree to teach a bunch of little brats?" Nami asked, looking off in thought. "I mean, especially after, what is it, four? Four teachers have gotten fired and or arrested? Recently, even."

Beside him, Sanji could tell Zoro wanted to say something. He didn't know how he could tell, but he could feel it and it was bugging him. He glanced over at Zoro cautiously, not wanting to be caught doing so, only to see that Zoro was looking at Nami. "They probably didn't have a choice," Zoro said. "There can't be that many people around that would take the job."

"I wouldn't if I were a teacher," Usopp put in emphatically.

"Yeah... Do you have any idea who it might be, Sanji-kun?" Nami asked, and everyone turned to look at him.

Sanji couldn't drop his eyes fast enough. "No. I mean, not exactly... I guess I'll find out soon, though," he told them, trying not to sound so flustered and nervous. Why he had to be like that, he didn't know, especially since it was so very not like him. But the kind of look that Zoro was giving him didn't allow many possible reactions. That blend of curiosity and concern and looking like he had something important to say was inexplicably intense. He couldn't help being flustered.

After that, conversation was directed elsewhere and Sanji was only too glad to let that happen. It was unreasonable of him, yes, but he was uncomfortable with the discussion that had been so focused on him. Even though it wasn't really about him, it felt that way and that disturbed him. He was becoming very uneasy about the whole situation.

For the rest of their lunch break, Sanji couldn't for the life of him shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. He blamed Zoro for creating that paranoia in him, but he couldn't very well make any accusations of the sort. Then everyone would know he was unsettled. And he would have to acknowledge Zoro, which was very, very low on his list of things to do. But, that didn't mean he couldn't internally blame him until he found something else to stew over.

By the time he had to get back to class, Sanji was well and truly annoyed by that one look that he'd received from his would-be friend. One look. That, he decided, was a testament to how much Zoro got on his nerves. He would be none the worse for wear if he never forgave Zoro. That's what he was thinking when he was stopped on the stairs by the person himself.

"This seems familiar," Sanji mentioned abstractly.

Zoro raised an eyebrow, but he didn't comment on the blond's observation. "I have something I want to tell you," Zoro said, taking a deep breath and sticking out his chest. Sanji waited, but he wasn't saying anything. He was just standing unnaturally straight right in Sanji's way.

"Are you waiting for permission or something? 'Cause, we'd be here all day," Sanji told him, being especially sarcastic.

"Why the hell would I need your permission?!" Zoro snapped. A second later, he gasped and clapped both hands over his mouth and his eyes grew wide. He watched Sanji like he expected some kind of explosion, but after a few moments of nothing at all, he moved his hands and loudly announced, "I didn't mean to say that."

Sanji shrugged indifferently, trying his hardest not to laugh at the look on Zoro's face. Even though it was only him and Zoro still in the stairwell, he had to keep away any trace of acknowledgement, he told himself. "Whatever. If you want to say something, you need to do it before we're both late."

The older boy looked like he couldn't care less about the time, but he took another deep breath and, that time, the right words came out. They were quiet and nervous, uncharacteristic of Zoro. But, they filled the confined space with a hopeful feeling that was beneficial and dooming at the same time. "Good luck," he'd said.

"... Thanks." _It won't work, it won't work, it _can't _work._ "I'll... do my best." _It isn't working, no way. That wasn't really nice of him, one of the others probably told him to say it, yeah._ "Bye."

Sanji wouldn't admit to himself, not ever, that he ran away from the strange, friendly Zoro. But he got to class a little earlier than he thought he might, so he figured there was some running involved. Not because of anyone or anything in particular, but just for the heck of it.

He took his seat and calmed his breathing a little and the kid in the seat behind him, the one who'd told him about their new teacher being from the high school next door, watched him with dark eyes. He seemed to be asking if Sanji was okay, so the blond nodded. The kid was nice enough, even though Sanji had only met him today, and he seemed to be concerned about something else, something beyond lost breath and narrow brushes with tardies.

Sanji didn't have much time to wonder what it was that the kid was thinking about before the bell screeched and a teacher that he recognized with a cold tingle in his spine strode into the room.

oOo

They didn't wait for each other, not a one of them, but Zoro waited for Sanji. The others came out earlier and he hid to avoid having to explain that he waited for Sanji. He figured there were less girly ways of making up for hurting Sanji's feeling one too many times, but he couldn't think of anything. Not that walking home with him would be a truly benevolent gesture, but insignificant things like that seemed to make the blond lighten up. At least, they had before. He hoped that hadn't changed.

He realized that maybe his stubbornness was a little ridiculous looking from the outside of things, but he wasn't embarrassed. Well, maybe he would have been if he hadn't seen Sanji rounding the corner and decided it was too late to back out.

Zoro pushed himself off the wall without uncrossing his arms and stepped forward. He started to say something as Sanji came closer, laughing about something that he was unaware of, and then someone else came around the corner.

The other boy had darker skin than Zoro's, if only by a bit, short black hair and equally dark eyes. He was wearing a light grey jacket and pants that seemed completely out of place with his monochrome coloring and unfitting next to Sanji's bright blues and yellows. And he appeared to be saying something very enthusiastically and making Sanji laugh.

Almost before he realized what he was doing, Zoro had set his jaw and narrowed his eyes and stood himself very determinedly in plain sight of the two. Sanji looked up only six feet away from Zoro and saw him and his pace and his laughter stuttered for a moment. The other boy seemed to notice the change and looked at Zoro curiously, but Zoro merely glanced at him with an unwarranted dislike building in his chest.

"What are you doing here?" Sanji asked, not in a disgusted or accusatory way, but not exactly friendly either.

Zoro rolled his head back and to the side a bit, giving the flattest look he could give. "I was looking for the others," he lied. In the back of his mind, a little voice that may have been rationality was telling him he was screwing his chances of being forgiven, but he couldn't bring himself to correct his glare and his lie.

"Ah." Sanji's eyes never left his. Was it a challenge? A dare? Simply ignorance? Zoro couldn't tell. "I think they left earlier."

Zoro acknowledged that he'd spoken with a bored hum and stared straight ahead as Sanji and the other boy with him passed by. His jaw hurt it was clenched so tight. He felt like his eyebrows were going to become his eyelids, he was frowning so hard. He hadn't felt so bitter in a very long time.

"Oi." Sanji's voice wasn't far away at all. In fact, he must have only gotten a few steps past Zoro before he'd stopped. "You coming?" Biting his tongue just in case, Zoro looked over his shoulder. Sanji was sort of looking at him, more like at his shoes, but definitely at him. "Or, would you rather get lost?"

"Che. Like I would," Zoro snorted haughtily, raising his chin a little higher.

The blond took a breath and paused, then he shrugged. "Okay. You can't say I didn't offer." Sanji turned and nodded to the other boy, who had stopped to watch their exchange, and the two of them began walking towards the exit once again.

_Damn it._ Zoro ground his teeth together and closed his eyes. He couldn't go with Sanji after that brief conversation. He'd acted like an ass. And that kid, that sickly, washed-out-looking kid, had witnessed it, too. His pride wouldn't let him backtrack, even if his conscience wanted him to.

He wished he knew why everything was so hard when it came to Sanji.

**After I've come to the end of this, I remember I check my word count. Before adding on my weird ANs, I had 4,000 words even. EVEN. My week is made.**


	46. Disturbed

**Hello readers. It has been a while, hasn't it? Well, no, I just updated Your Heart in the past week, but it's been a while since I've put anything here. I really ought to finish up one or two of my ongoing projects so I can manage this better, but oh well. You've still got a new chapter, and I've still got inspiration. ;D I hope to work a little faster in the future, but every time I make definite statements on the speediness of my updates, the universe makes it so that I lied. So, this time, having learned from my mistakes, I shall tell you with little certainty that I hope to possibly, maybe, at some point in the near or far future, to write or not write a tiny, little bit faster or slower, whatever suits. Do what you will, Universe.**

He should be disappointed. He really ought to be, after he had cut Zoro some slack and Zoro practically spat in his face. He'd started to waver on his "definitely not friendly" plan, after all, and he'd let Zoro get to him. But he wasn't disappointed or angry or sad or anything when Zoro refused his invitation to walk home together. He wasn't even relieved, or anything else that might make sense. In fact, somehow, defying the gravity of rational emotion, he was amused.

Before they had parted, his new friend Gin had asked why he was smiling after talking to "that angry green kid," but Sanji hadn't been able to answer. Actually, he didn't think he even knew he was smiling until Gin mentioned it. Then he'd noticed the ache in his cheeks, a sign of his unwilful happiness. It didn't make sense, but he was really freaking happy to be happy, so it didn't need to.

The orphanage came into view and Sanji noticed with intrigue that there was a big white truck out front. A large but simple blue emblem on the side of the large rectangular compartment announced the truck was from the Baratie. _I didn't know they were coming today._ Sanji walked around to the back end of the vehicle, where two inconsequential kitchen hands were unloading cardboard boxes with nothing inside them onto a dolly. "What on earth are these for?" Sanji asked, mostly to himself.

The kitchen hands looked up from their piddly task at Sanji, then at each other. The larger of the two men barked a laugh and spoke with a muddled accent. "We don't hafta explain ourselves t'some smallfry like you!"

Sanji raised an eyebrow at them. "What a hick. I'm not the smallfry here, by the by, since you're the ones acting like empty cardboard boxes are some kind of important cargo," he pointed out with a smirk.

Just as the most unimaginative colorful language he'd ever heard began to pour from the larger kitchen assistant and the other kitchen hand, wearing sunglasses despite the overcast, had to hold his friend back, Zeff burst out of the orphanage. "You two! What the hell're you shouting about before your job is done?" he snapped, striding towards them with the presence of a mountain.

"Bus~ted," Sanji taunted, grinning and taking a few casual steps back. He would consider them even now, he decided, still a little annoyed by the "smallfry" thing. But, he wasn't the one about to get chewed out by the big boss.

"It's not our fault, Owner Zeff," the sunglasses guy said.

"Yeah!" the big guy agreed, throwing up his massive forearms. "That runt's bein' annoyin' and distractin' us, Owner!"

Zeff did not look impressed. "Get back to work and make it quick, or you little slackers are gonna find yourselves on dish duty for the foreseeable future," the chef ordered strictly. From the sidewalk, Sanji giggled at the expressions on the kitchen hands' faces. "Well? Get to it!"

"Yes, Owner!" Tweedledee and Tweedledum got back to work in speedy fashion.

Even though the clouds covered every inch of blue sky, Sanji felt like the sun was shining on him. It was an odd, warm feeling that didn't work at all with the dread he'd felt earlier in the day. He liked it, even if that wasn't appropriate. He'd have to go back to dread soon enough, when he recounted the day's trauma to his friends, so he would enjoy the warmth while he had it, strange though it may be.

"What're you smiling about, eggplant?" Zeff was looking down at him, one side of his moustache twitching.

Without meaning to, Sanji laughed. "That's the second time I've been asked that today," he observed aloud, offering a bright and brief grin. "Except the 'eggplant' part. What's with that, anyway?"

Zeff's moustache twitched again. "Even if I explained it to you, you're at least twenty years too early to understand."

"That doesn't make any sense, old man," Sanji mentioned, not really caring for any further reasoning. He had important things to do, things that maybe could wait, but even if he didn't have things to do, he didn't really need to know why a crazy chef called him an eggplant.

Sanji started towards the door of the orphanage, casting an expectant glance down the sidewalk that would lead back to the school. He didn't think Zoro would be along so soon, but he checked anyway. He hoped it wouldn't take too long for Zoro to show up, since he hadn't been able to tell him, or anyone else for that matter, about his new teacher. And although he should be mad, he kept telling himself that he should be, he thought Zoro ought to be there the first time he told his story. That was something he didn't want to change his mind on. A step in the right-

"Now where do you think you're going, kid?"

Just inside the lobby he was stopped by a spark, some little flicker of recognition in the back of his mind. Sanji whirled around to face the man behind him and a bright glimmer of something not quite right jumped in front of his eyes. Then he blinked. And it was just Zeff. _What... was that?_

The chef stared down at him, crow's feet at the corners of his eyes crinkling. "Did you hear me?"

"Huh?" Sanji's mind lingered on that blurry bit of something, keeping him from remembering right away that Zeff had spoken to him and what he'd said. "Oh. Oh, uh, to my friends' room? Why... why do you ask?"

Another moustache twitch, more noticeable that time. The chef crossed his arms over his broad chest, huffing a laugh. "And here I thought a little eggplant was gonna beat me to the kitchen," he said, almost floutingly.

The blond's eyebrows shot up. He started to say something, but a refreshing sense of welcome stopped him. A brand new grin spread across his face, bringing his smile count for the day higher than it had been in a while. "Oh, I have plenty of time to do that. Since you're an old man, I don't need to hurry."

"Well, well! You talk a big game, but weren't you the one on your way to go slack off?" Zeff laughed, his chest heaving exaggeratedly with each expelling of air.

"Nuh-uh! I was just going to tell my friends something important, then I was gonna come back down, no slacking off involved!" Sanji announced, raising his head up a little higher to be as dignified as possible. Internally he was a little unsure about waiting, but he doubted anything relating to his new teacher would be dire enough to warrant backing down from the blatant challenge before him.

The peg-legged chef raised a bushy eyebrow. "What kind of 'important' thing would a ten-year-old runt have to say?"

"None of your business," Sanji answered coolly, fighting the urge to stick out his tongue. "And, I'm eleven."

"Are ya now?" Zeff asked, maybe disbelieving because his tone wasn't teasing or malicious in any way. Sanji hadn't heard him use that tone before. It was almost _friendly_. He didn't know how to counter that jest paired with that tone.

While Sanji was stood there floundering for a response, he could hear the lady at the reception desk giggling. He looked over at her and she made a weird squeak sound and hurriedly began typing away on her keyboard. That was odd. Was she giggling at him? "Yeah," Sanji answered, though he knew it wasn't really a question. "I am. I turned eleven a month ago. How did you even know I was ten, anyway?" It was an inconsequential detail, but he had to say something. It was a little awkward feeling just standing there.

Even though he hadn't intended anything much by the question and had expected a short answer about his annoyingness or something like "all children are ten-ish," his question seemed to give Zeff pause. The peg-legged chef sucked in air as if to speak, then he hesitated. Was the answer difficult? Was it something weird? _He didn't ask someone, did he? That wouldn't really make sense, but how else...?_

"It was a guess. All you eggplants here are about the same age, aren'tcha?" Zeff said way too composedly after such a long pause.

Sanji blinked, unconvinced and unamused. "Yeah. All of us here _infants to seventeen-year-olds_ are all about the same age," he said, lowering his head a tad and raising his eyebrows significantly.

The chef snorted through his nose and his moustache twitched again. "Sounds about right," Zeff said, a noticeable smirk on his face as he raised one of his own eyebrows in response to Sanji's look.

"Wow, that's mature," Sanji deadpanned. He shook his head, adjusting his backpack from where the strap had been digging into his shoulder. The blond's eyes moved between the staircase and the door to the kitchen, on opposite sides of the room. If nothing else, he needed to go upstairs to drop off his bag before he went to help out in the kitchen. There was no guaranteeing he wouldn't get sidetracked by some unforeseen obstacle, but he thought he could go up, drop off his bag and dash down to the kitchen before the chef even had a chance to relish his absence. "Hey, old man," Sanji said to get his attention.

Zeff's eyebrow quirked just a tiny bit higher to show he was listening.

"I'm going to be in the kitchen in a minute, after I drop my bag off. So, if you get a headstart now, I might only beat you there by an hour," Sanji told him, grinning cheekily at the chef before running off to take the stairs. Behind him he could hear Zeff's sputtering laugh and shouts about eggplants.

oOo

As he was exiting his room, Sanji nearly bumped into Luffy and Usopp. The two of them, though they must have come up to Sanji's room just to see the blond himself, were engaged in conversation.

"And I told _you_ it's _karma_!" Usopp was wailing, throwing his arms out wide.

Luffy was considerably more nonchalant than Usopp about whatever they were discussing. "Maa, I don't know a lot about Karmen, but doesn't she kick people in the butt when they do bad things?"

Sanji tried to interject, but Usopp was having none of it. "Luffy! Normally, yes, if we did something bad, which we did, then we'd get directly punished for it by _karma_. But, this is a sign, I tell you! Karma has given us her divine warning which we must heed, lest we be hit by a bus or struck by lightning or something!"

At the end of Usopp's pauseless rant, Luffy looked over at Sanji as if in search of answers. The blond could only shake his head. "What have you been reading?" Sanji asked, closing his door behind himself.

"Read- Nothing! Well, obviously stuff for school, but that's not the point! Don't you know what's happened?!" Usopp shouted, flinging his hands up in the air.

"Yeah, Sanji. Didn't you hear?" Luffy asked, superfluously calmer than their long-nosed friend.

Sanji eyed the other two, attempting to discover from their polarizing reactions whether or not they were talking about his new teacher. It wasn't likely, but it was the only thing he could think of that may warrant such behaviors in his friends. After a minute of looking, though, he could see no signs whatsoever that they were all thinking of the same thing. "I didn't," Sanji answered finally.

"It's terrible-"

"It's not that bad."

"-One of our guidance couns-"

"Usopp's just being crazy."

"I am not! Nami agrees with me!"

"And she's being crazy, too."

Sanji rolled his eyes, starting towards the stairs. "You two get back to me when you're finished bickering," he said over his shoulder. He was curious, yes, but he had basically challenged the chef and he could not be late to the kitchen because he was listening to the dumbbell duo tell him not a thing.

"Wait, Sanji! We haven't even told you what happened!" Usopp called after him. In a quieter voice, Usopp said, presumably to Luffy, "Look what you did! Now he's all annoyed!"

Luffy laughed whimsically. "Nah, it wasn't me. Sanji knows you overreact a lot, so this isn't a big deal!" he said, very matter-of-factly.

"But it is! Sanji, listen- One of the guidance counselors, the one for the elementary school, _our_ school, was killed!"

That got Sanji's attention right quick. "... What? What did you just say?"

"No, Usopp! She just fell down the stairs, she's not dead. They said she's only going to be in the hospital for a few days, that's all," Luffy corrected, cool as a freaking cucumber while Sanji was internally panicking.

The blond gave a big, frustrated, wavering sigh, clutching his head with one hand. "Don't just say things like that as if it's nothing!" he snapped, whirling in a circle, not certain where he would go, where he could go. Dark, broken memories spilled into his head, eradicating whatever scraps of a good mood he may have been in. "Not _ever_!"

His friends flinched at his raised voice and looked over at Sanji apologetically, but he was already on his way out. He didn't want to hear another word about it. The subject, or at least what had become of it, was too much for him. It made his heart ache in a far too familiar way and he knew in that short period of time that his week had been ruined by one single exaggeration.

oOo

Somehow, the sun had set. Not all the way, not quite, but it was getting difficult for him to see by the time he got home. If he were to be honest, it hardly mattered, but bothering his brain with something silly like the time of day was the solution he turned to after all else had failed him.

Zoro wouldn't admit it to anyone, as was the case with many of his innermost thoughts and feelings, but he had been stewing over that kid since he saw him with Sanji at school. He was almost entirely certain that kid was bad news. But, who the hell could he even point that out to? Sanji would just get mad at him some more if he told him, and surely the others would pass it along to Sanji if he confided in them that he distrusted Sanji's new friend. Then he'd be in a whole new level of dog house with the blond.

He was sure, however, that it was not jealousy that motivated him. Before anyone got any ideas, he would clear that up right away. He was _not_ jealous. Not of Sanji's new friend, not of anyone. Zoro was simply... disappointed in Sanji's choice of acquaintances. Aside from their normal group, he didn't need friends. As an unspoken rule, none of them really hung out with anyone other than each other much and Sanji should know there was a reason for that, on that he shouldn't ignore. _That_, Zoro thought adamantly, _doesn't mean that I'm jealous_.

The green-haired boy opted for the elevator instead of the stairs because, while he was not worn out by all the walking, he wanted to avoid any and all chances of meeting his friends before he was safely in his room. Hopefully the fact that they hardly ever took the elevator remained fact until he was shut away on the second floor.

As he rode up to his floor in the elevator, Zoro could hear a thudding sound from the outside. He'd been told by somebody a while ago that if the music isn't playing inside the elevator he would be able to hear people walking up and down the stairs. He could only guess that that was true. Although it seemed to him that whoever was taking the stairs was stomping, he may be mistaken. He'd never heard it before, so there was really no telling. In the twisted part of his mind, though, he hoped that that someone was in a bad mood to match his own because it would be completely unfair otherwise.

The tired chime of the elevator and the sudden stop caused Zoro to start a bit, but he had composed himself by the time the doors opened. No one was in the hall that he could see, but just in case. He didn't want to be caught with his hand in the unwarranted-shock-flavored cookie jar.

Elsewhere on the second floor, he heard people talking. He only paid them enough attention to figure out if he knew them or not, then, when he realized he didn't, he quickly moved on through the hallway. The door to his and Luffy's room was open a crack when he got there, but nobody was in there. Or, at least, they weren't making any noise. Carefully, Zoro pushed the door open. He found the room to be empty and sighed with relief, despite the fact that he had not expected that time of all other times would be the one wherein Luffy remained absolutely silent.

Zoro climbed up onto the top bunk and lay flat on his back over the blankets. He exhaled a heavy breath, turned his eyes to a water spot on the ceiling and began trying to "meditate," as it were. No thoughts, that was how it was supposed to be. He didn't like to ruminate over trivial things, or anything at all, really, and normally it was easy enough for him to eject whatever was bothering him from his mind in favor of sleeping. But, the image (_why does it have to be the image?_) of Sanji laughing with that dark-skinned disease of a kid didn't want to go.

Had he grown so _attached_ that he was like the blond's lap dog? Certainly not. If that were the case, he would just as soon cut all ties. He was not attached to Sanji in any way, shape, or form. Why, then, would something concerning only Sanji and Whosit, be plaguing him? He couldn't figure it out. All he had established so far was that he wasn't jealous, nor attached, and that he was damn tired of thinking about the curly browed idiot so much. It wasn't any of his business, so he shouldn't be bothered.

Zoro sighed. A headache was building behind his eyes and a similar pressure was forming in his chest. He really needed to get his mind off it and quickly. Under normal circumstances, sleeping would do just that, but he'd already tried and failed at that. So, he needed something else, something that was more useful in washing out his mind than simply going to sleep. He needed to train, but...

The feeling of something stingy and hot from inside his eyelids alerted Zoro to the wrong turn his mind had taken. He sat up quickly and looked around the room, searching for anything at all that might ease his mind. He'd somehow dropped his bag just inside the doorway and that attracted his attention. If Zoro was not mistaken, he had something in there that would do the trick, if he felt like reminiscing without breaking all over again.

It pained him to think of the past, how terrible he had been back then and how wonderful the world had been for a small amount of time. He didn't normally like to remember, but it seemed to be his best option. It was ass-backwards and he knew it could come back to bite him, but the thing he worked to avoid in his waking hours, the thing that disturbed his sleep more often than anything else, the thing that made him a soft, mushy person like anybody else all over again was the most appealing fix to his current problem.

He climbed down from his bed, stepped over to his bag and snatched it up. He opened the outside front pocket and pulled out a thin, brown leather notebook and stared down at it. Maybe he shouldn't. He knew from what the others had said to him that he became different when he thought about it, about _her,_ too much. But that's what he needed, wasn't it? To be different? It seemed like it. He'd already stopped thinking about Sanji. Maybe it _was _the solution after all. Maybe all he had to do was go back to the way things were...

***roflmao* Gin is a disease... HAHAHAHA! I crack me up. xDD I don't actually think Zoro would say something like that, but it seemed alright.**

**Is that really my ending statement? On a chapter where there is build-up to a mysterious something that could cause friction and drama or just, like, a rash or something? Yes, of course it is. What did you expect?**


	47. Missing

The kitchen was peaceful that morning, surprisingly so for early July. At least, it had been. But the ever-considerate Luffy had apparently decided things could not be so calm for the chef, the kitchen hands, or Sanji.

The raven-haired boy leaned in through the service window with staff members scolding him from the serving line. "Sanji! Hey, Sanji! Come here! I have to ask you something!" Luffy shouted, wobbling slightly with the chair he was standing on.

"You ain't allowed in here, brat! Get yer noisy head outta here!" the cranky old chef ordered, swatting at Luffy with a spatula.

"I just wanna talk to Sanji, that's all!" Luffy told him with a grin, but the chef didn't seem to be listening to him. He couldn't think of why Sanji wanted to spend so much time in there with such an angry old guy. It didn't sound like much fun at all.

Sanji hopped up into view with his cool little chef hat that Luffy kept asking to borrow, frowning for some reason or other. "Go around, Luffy. I'll meet you at the door," Sanji said, pointing with his whole arm to Luffy's right. The people in the kitchen were shouting about annoying kids and Sanji was telling them to shut up very loudly. Then Sanji looked back at Luffy and raised his one visible eyebrow. "Why are you still here? Go!"

"Okay!" Luffy hopped down from the chair and ran past the women standing around frowning at him. He waved at them briefly because maybe they were mad at him for not saying goodbye properly, then he faced forward and hurried out the dining room door. Just down the poorly lit hallway, Sanji was standing right outside the kitchen doors with his arms crossed. His chef hat was gone.

"What did you need to ask me?" Sanji looked impatient. Didn't he understand Luffy was on an important mission given to him by... himself? Yeah, himself. That was right, it was very important.

Luffy gathered his words and his thoughts before he spoke, as Nami had been telling him to do for years. He didn't know why it was important, but he did. "I wanted to ask you if you'd seen Zoro lately. Have you?" Luffy asked, very collectedly, he thought.

Sanji frowned, just like the others all did when he asked them. "No. I've sort of been avoiding him. Why? Is he missing?" Sanji asked, with that weird tone and expression that he got a lot when anyone mentioned Zoro. Luffy thought it was like he was trying not to care, but that was okay. No matter what Sanji and Zoro pretended, they were friends and Luffy knew that.

So, he answered as he would if Sanji had openly shown distress. "I'm not sure. I just haven't seen him in a while, that's all," Luffy told him, trying to remember why he was looking for Zoro. "But it's nothing to worry about. He disappears all the time."

"Does he?" Sanji asked, looking down.

Luffy watched Sanji for a minute, trying to work out the situation. He heard something from the others about "tense" this and that, but he didn't think that applied. "Yeah. 'Cause he doesn't like to talk much, y'know?"

"He disappears because he doesn't like to talk?" Sanji asked, giving him a weird look.

"Yeah. Didn't I just say that?" Sanji must not have been paying attention. Oh, well. Luffy didn't mind repeating himself. "Well, anyway, if you see Zoro, tell him I'm looking for him!" Luffy said with a grin, waving at Sanji. That should work. It seemed to him Sanji and Zoro always ran into each other, so he'd be seeing Zoro soon enough. All he needed to do now was remember why he was trying to find Zoro.

oOo

Missing. Missing? Was that even possible? He probably just fell asleep somewhere strange for his fifth or sixth nap of the day. It wasn't anything to worry about. It never was. Besides, he had his own problems to think about. And they were certainly more pressing to him than a possibly M.I.A. plant.

Sanji went back to the kitchen to help with breakfast, his mind anywhere but. For a month and a half of school and an equal amount of summer break, he'd had what was only supposed to be a temporary problem. That was what he had to deal with above all other things. He hadn't even told his friends about it yet. Not that they'd be able to help. The new teacher, who was without a doubt an evil guy, had not done anything evil at all.

That had been quite a surprise. He remembered once bumping into Mr. Krieg when he was younger and at that time he became convinced by the murderous look in his eyes that Mr. Krieg was a very bad man. But, in the classroom, he was practically tame. Not friendly, not even close, but he hadn't killed anyone yet. He didn't even yell or throw things. By every standard he was a normal teacher. But Sanji and Gin were convinced he was trouble.

And therein lay another problem of Sanji's. Gin was scared of Mr. Krieg. He was the teacher's personal servant, whether that was legal or not. Recently, he'd started to tell Sanji Mr. Krieg wasn't that bad, but the blond was certain he'd been threatened. To have been so solidly against the high school teacher just three months ago, Gin couldn't have changed his mind so easily. He had to have been threatened.

Sanji shook his head if only to himself. He did like his new friend, but as nice as Gin was, he was a coward when it came to their teacher. Eventually, he'd have to tell everyone else, but since no one and nothing was causing any trouble, Sanji was just going to let it be. For once, as long as the peace would last by itself, he would let it. There would be no looking for the what ifs, or trying to improve a motionless issue. No, sir. He would just leave everything be unless something got better or worse, but not until.

_Missing..._ Right. Like Sanji would care. He gave Zoro half a million chances to make him care, especially three months ago, right after he met Gin, and the green-haired temper had snubbed his every olive branch. He even had the nerve to ignore and avoid Sanji after offering everything to Sanji to stay friends. The blond had been really too nice, considering their situation, and Zoro had, apparently, changed his mind. So, Sanji would not be the first one to decide they were friends again.

"Kid, if yer gonna slack off, git out!"

"Sorry, chef!"

oOo

Nami tapped her fingertips on the picnic table. Not a single word of good gossip had come her way in weeks. Except that Zoro might be missing, but every few days Luffy or Usopp claimed he'd disappeared and he always turned up the minute everybody started looking for him. And, even though it could be therapeutic, yelling at Zoro was not her idea of a good time.

"What's eating you this morning?"

The redhead looked up to see her sister approaching. She'd only been sitting there for a few minutes. Everything must've gone well at home, then. "What makes you think I'm being eaten?" Nami asked as Nojiko took a seat across from her.

Her older sister gave her a flat look. "Don't make this difficult, Nami," she said, shaking her head. "I don't just _think_ you're being eaten, I know you are. So, what? Did you have to pay for your own stuff or something?"

Nami sighed. She could try and play it off, but for not being biologically related, Nojiko and herself were very similarly stubborn. They must have learned it from Bellemere, she decided. And, rather than arguing it out, maybe it would help her to tell someone. Nojiko might even have something interesting for her. "No, I didnt actually. In fact, I've had the boys buy me ice cream nine times already this summer."

"Not bad," Nojiko interjected, nodding her approval.

"I know. But aside from that, my summer is going horribly," Nami explained, gesturing randomly with her elbow on the table and then planting her chin in her palm.

Nojiko laid her bag on the bench beside herself and pulled two oranges out of it. She set one on the table in front of Nami and began peeling the other. "How so?" she asked, barely looking up from her fruit.

"Nothing exciting has happened at all," Nami told her, grabbing up the citrus and putting her nose to the peel. "Scratch that; nothing period has happened. I hate to say this, but... I miss school." There. She said it. Now she could properly wallow in misery.

Instead of agreeing with her about how awful that sounded, Nojiko hummed. "Oh really? I thought you and your friends would be glad for the calm. Y'know, since you were all playing anti-heroes this year," she said, pulling a section out of her artfully peeled orange. "We hear about you sometimes at my school, Nami. Must be doing a hell of a job."

The redhead's ears perked. "Really? What do you hear? Do they know it's us? Specifically?"

Nojiko shook her head. "Nah. All we hear is that the scumbags your school calls teachers keep getting ratted out by some kids. You aren't famous by name, but by reputation, you're pretty well-known."

"Good." Nami rolled the orange between her hands, internally sighing her relief. At least they hadn't caught on that it was the same group of kids every time. As nice as it might be to have some sort of fame among elementary students, she really didn't feel like having a criminal record at ten years old.

oOo

Usopp wound the rubber band as tightly as he could without breaking another one. Those things were so frustrating to work with. They kept snapping when he was almost finished with his project. The administrations office really needed to buy better rubber bands. But, of course, if he told them that, they'd know he was borrowing them.

He admired his handiwork as best he could with his hands still on it, keeping the wooden ice cream spoon from spinning away and ruining all his hard work. Then he held the parts all together with one hand and put his bag over his shoulder with the other. It was time to find Luffy, now that his invention was done.

"Luffy! Are you still up here?" Usopp called, leaving his room and kicking the door shut behind himself. Luffy had come up to check on his progress after asking Sanji if he knew where Zoro was with no luck, and Usopp had no other clues as to where he might be, so he hoped Luffy was still around.

Usopp wandered down the hall towards Zoro and Luffy's shared room, craning his neck to try and see if the door was open or not. As he got closer, Luffy walked around the corner a few doors down. "Yeah?" He looked at Usopp hopefully. "Is it done?"

"Yeah. What were you doing over there?" Usopp held up his little creation–a folded license plate, a straw, a rubber band and a disposable ice cream scoop, all shaped into a logically correct, hopefully aerodynamically sound, plane–and approached his friend with it.

Luffy shrugged. "Vivi said something about steak in the hallway by the stairs. I think she lied to me."

Usopp only briefly pondered Vivi's lying about meat in the hall before it came to him. "Oh. Luffy, is there any chance she said 'stake out the hallway?'" he questioned, holding his plane away from Luffy's extended arms.

"Maybe. Can I do it? Please? You can't keep it all to yourself, Usopp!" Luffy was not a very focused person when it came to actually important things. He was grabbing at Usopp's beautiful brain baby, rather than relaying what all Vivi had said or providing the premise that he'd spoken to Vivi at all today.

The curly-haired boy stood up on his tip-toes and held his plane up out of Luffy's reach and, even though they'd been through that before with the same lack of success, Luffy jumped for it. He allowed himself a moment of silent boasting that he was still taller than his friend, who had grown like a weed in the years he;d known him. After assuring himself that he would be taller than Luffy full-grown, Usopp cleared his throat. "Ahem. As creator of this divine work of art, I reserve the right to decide who uses it first. After much deliberation, I decree that it should fall unto Usopp the Brilliant to use this scientific... uh... hyperbole!"

Luffy blinked. "This what? It's a plane, isn't it, Usopp?"

"I'm just trying to illustrate with words how cool this is going to be! Didn't 'hyperbole' sound cool?" He'd heard someone use that word the other day and decided to use it himself. It sounded smart, he decided. Or made up.

"I guess... Yeah, Yeah, it does!" Luffy agreed loudly, nodding. He beamed at Usopp as they began walking towards the designated launch pad. After about five seconds of silence, Luffy asked, "So, can I fly it?"

oOo

"Zoro-saaaaan~!" Vivi called as she walked through the yard, quietly enough so as not to disturb the sleeping duckling in her arms. She wasn't so sure about Zoro being missing. Personally, she hadn't noticed. He was always falling off the map for hours at a time, as far as she could tell. But, the others were concerned so she would help.

Nami had told Vivi at some point in the past few weeks that she was going to find out what Zoro and Sanji's "deal" was, and Vivi remembered it then. At first, she wasn't sure why, but after thinking about it a moment, she decided it was because an opportunity had arisen. If she found Zoro, she would ask him while they were alone about his "deal." He was more likely to answer her, she knew, when no one was around to laugh or extort or take offense.

The yard was scarcely populated, Vivi noticed, but she was looking anyway. Most everyone had better things to do than hang out at the orphanage and Vivi doubted Zoro was different. It still didn't hurt to check all the usual places. After she was finished checking the yard, she knew of a tree in the park that she'd seen Zoro sleeping on a few times.

"Oh, Vivi! Usopp's finished!"

Vivi clutched her duckling around his little earholes as Luffy and Usopp ran up to her. "Shh, Carue's sleeping," she told them calmly. That did not slow them down or lower their volume at all as far as Vivi could tell.

"We're going to go launch this now!" Usopp informed her excitedly. He held up his finagled airplane for Vivi to see and, she assumed, gratify.

"Wow, that turned out really well, Usopp-san," Vivi told him, smiling and nodding. "May I come with you? I would like to see if it works."

Usopp and Luffy simultaneously took offense. "Of course it works!" they said as one. Vivi laughed and apologized and Lusopp quickly bounced back and started going on about their plane as they led Vivi back to the building.

The woman at the desk zeroed in on them when they walked in the door. The boys didn't seem to notice, but Vivi did. She was staring them down and, when they stopped for Uffy to argue with itself, the woman scurried off. A minute later, Makino emerged from the nursery where the other woman had gone. She sighed very obviously and composed herself from a less-than-cheery demeanor.

"Children," Makino addressed them, her hands grasping each other in front of her skirt. "There is something that I need to tell you all."

Vivi had a bad feeling. Makino didn't look happy. It was bad news. Had someone died? Did something happen to one of the caretakers? On of the children? Was it somebody they knew?

"What is it, Makino?" Luffy asked, cheerful and unaware. "Did you wanna launch our message plan with us?"

Makino shook her head, a sad smile on her face. "No, thank you, sweetie. It's... It's about Roronoa-kun," she said and Vivi's heart dropped.

"Did you find him?" Usopp asked, grinning. "Was he sleeping in the nursery?" The boys laughed.

The caretaker shook her head again. "No. No, he... I'm sorry, kids. It couldn't be helped." She wrung her hands nervously. "Roronoa-kun left early this morning."

Vivi was already tearing up, but the boys didn't seem to get it. "Where did he go? I've been looking for him all morning," Luffy said, looking up at Makino with big, sparkly eyes.

Makino looked down at her feet, then met his eyes with a remorseful expression. "According to Roronoa-kun... he went home."


	48. Sympathy

**I apologize for my lateness... However, it was not my fault. In addition to my parents' insistence that I was not to have internet friends that are older than me (which happened within the last two weeks, by the way), they also insist that I am not allowe****d on my computer or anything else that could possibly connect to the internet on Sundays. So, yeah. Writing time slashed by stupid pointless punishments and the hope of "Screen-free Sunday."**

**...**

**Yeah. I've got "cool" parents.**

**Anyway, enjoy. This is the first chapter I've posted without having it beta'd by a different set of eyes (Llanyia) in at least 6 months. I'd say a year, but I know I got impatient a few times... Anywho, I believe a great deal of progress will be made with this one chapter.**

He just stared. What? Maybe he hadn't heard right. He asked again. Same answer. Or was he hearing things? Maybe he'd ask again. Same answer. "But that doesn't make sense," he pointed out to them. "If he had a home to go to, why now?"

Vivi sniffled, wiping at her eyes. "W-we don't kn-know. Makino-san d-didn't say, but... Sanji-kun, do you think he's coming back?" Nami, who had been standing behind Vivi, patted her on the back.

"I don't know." Was it his fault? Was Zoro so frustrated with him that he ran away? Made up a home to tell Makino about? Or did he have that in his back pocket for a while? Sanji didn't know. He couldn't answer anything, didn't know anything. All he could think was that Zoro was gone.

"Makino didn't say he was adopted," Usopp noted, confused. "She said he just left."

Luffy, standing in the middle of the group, simply grinned. "Then we'll just have to go and get him," he said as if it were the obvious solution to their current problem. Sanji didn't think it was that simple.

"We don't know where he went," Nami reminded him logically. She frowned at the floor, still patting Vivi's back. "Who knows? Maybe he's like me? Maybe he did have a home, but he left so his family could live better?"

A silence fell in that hallway, emergency meeting forgotten. The meeting had been called by Vivi and Usopp the moment Nami got home. The three of them had pulled Sanji out of the kitchen and dragged Luffy along to the first abandoned hallway they could find. That was the quietest they had been all morning, Sanji realized, especially since Usopp, Luffy and Vivi heard the news.

"Why are you guys being so serious? It's not like he's gone forever," Luffy said, completely unaffected by the situation. Sanji had always admired Luffy's optimism, but sometimes he took it too far. That was one of those times.

"You can't know that," Vivi told him, her bottom lip quivering. "A-and maybe- maybe Zoro-san didn't want to be here. Maybe he'd be mad if we..." She trailed off. Her thought on the matter was very much a valid one. Sanji knew he hadn't wanted to be there when he first checked in. But then he made friends and had fun and the orphanage was _home_. Did Zoro not feel that way?

Luffy broke the uncomfortable silence with a cheerful laugh. "You'll never know until you try, right?" he said with a wide grin and then he just walked off.

"Where are you going?" Usopp asked, making an annoyed face at the back of Luffy's head.

"Yeah, Luffy, we have to make a plan," Nami agreed, starting after him.

The straw hat-wearing boy grinned at them over his shoulder. "Nah. I think it'll work itself out," he said, looking at Sanji. The young chef frowned under that expectant look. He did not think things would go as smoothly as Luffy insisted they would.

oOo

Three weeks later, it still hadn't worked itself out. They'd looked all over. Anywhere they'd ever seen Zoro hang out, they checked twice. He wasn't there. They didn't see him at the orphanage, the park, the clubhouse, anywhere. Luffy still wasn't concerned, but everyone else silently believed they'd never see Zoro again.

They had never been so eager to go back to school.

Sanji was not looking forward to facing his new teacher again, but he was the one everybody had their money on to find Zoro first. They'd told him as much. He'd even put money on himself if they had let him bet before pushing him out the door and urging him to school. He had to admit, he was looking forward to seeing the green-haired idiot again.

The school was overly crowded, it seemed, right from the start. Everyone who hadn't seen each other all summer was having the loudest reunion Sanji had ever heard right in the middle of the walkway. He imagined a similar, though much less obnoxious, reunion within his own group of friends later on and it became a little easier to tolerate everything.

Schedules were questionable, even though it had only been a little while. Sanji didn't know if he'd have any classes with Zoro. He kept looking around, hoping it would be written somewhere on the school grounds that he would soon meet with one of the few people he never thought he'd miss.

"Oh, Sanji-san! Hey!" Gin was waving at him from the gaping doorway. Sanji started to move towards him, started to form a smile, to say something, and then he spotted it. The evil aura, distinctly murder-colored, hovering around the gorilla-faced substitute teacher.

The blond thought about pretending he hadn't seen the wave or heard the shout, but that would've been very rude to his friend whom he still liked, despite Gin's poor choice of company. So, he waved, cut his eyes to Krieg, and hurried off with Luffy and Usopp to his first class.

The halls were Zoroless, the class even more so. Sanji tried to get his disappointment in check, but he still couldn't bring his full focus to anything else. He was already getting the most dismal feeling that Zoro wouldn't show up, even though his day had begun with butterflies and hope.

Every opportunity to be had was one that Sanji seized to look for Zoro, even when he was sitting in class and he'd already checked five times. Lunch couldn't come fast enough. He wasn't hungry and he doubted he would be for the next few weeks afterwards, but at lunch, Zoro would most assuredly be present.

"Have you seen him yet?" Luffy asked merrily as they reconvened in the hall right before lunch.

Usopp hung his head. Nami pursed her lips. Vivi shook her head with misty eyes. Sanji guessed he had about as much to report as they did. He hadn't seen Zoro yet, either.

In response to all the non-responses, Luffy grinned widely. "Well, I saw him in the hall. He was talking to some other kids, so I guess he didn't hear me calling me him, but he's still here! I told you guys he didn't leave forever!"

Sanji exchanged looks with Vivi, who was standing next to him. She looked as hopeful as he felt. "Where did you see him? Which hall?" Sanji asked, his voice becoming suspicious in his efforts not to sound too interested.

Luffy shrugged. "I don't know. The long one?" he suggested.

As close as three children could get to an unrehearsed unison facepalm, they got even closer right then. "Luffy," Nami began in an exasperated reasoning tone. "Every hall in this school's long. Be specific."

The raven-haired boy frowned in thought. "Uhh... the long... green? Hall?"

"They're all green!" Usopp informed as if volume would jog Luffy's memory. "What class was it near, or office or whatever? Think Luffy, think!"

Before Luffy could unearth another brilliant thing to say, a janitor rolled his mop cart into the hall and turned cranky eyes on the group of children. "What the-? Get where you're goin'! No loitering!" he snapped and they scrambled to the lunch room with some small amount of coordination.

At their table, between professions of missing heartbeats and panting, they looked around for their lost friend. While Nami and Vivi and Luffy were all looking around and narrating their findings, Usopp leaned towards Sanji. "I didn't tell the truth earlier," Usopp whispered, wearing one of his varying covert expressions that was anything but inconspicuous.

"No duh," Sanji managed, looking around distractedly.

"Listen, Sanji, it's important. I saw Zoro today." A moment before the words left him, Usopp had covered Sanji's mouth with his hand. "Quiet," he said, "I don't want the others to know."

The shout Sanji had been about to give reluctantly died in his throat. After a couple of deep, cleansing breaths, Sanji pulled Usopp's hand away. "Why not?" he asked, though that was hardly the first question that came to mind.

"Because," Usopp hissed as if that were all the answer he needed to give. "Sanji, it would make them upset."

The blond frowned. "Then why are you telling me?" he asked, glaring down at his lunch.

Usopp paused. "Let me explain what I saw first." He paused again. "Z-uh... _You know who_ is in the same History class as me and I tried to talk to him, but these two weird-looking boys were hanging around him until class started and came back after class ended, and before I could get to him. Anyway, he looked really... empty. Sad."

Sanji bit his lip. He did not like this story very much.

"He kept looking out the window," Usopp continued, barely making and sound in an effort not to be heard by the others. "I don't know what's wrong with him. But, I think you could fix him, or, uh, convince him to come back home."

"Makino-san said he _went_ home," Sanji pointed out bitterly. On the inside, however, Sanji willed Usopp to explain how exactly he thought the blond could bring Zoro back so Sanji would know what he could try.

"I know she said that and maybe it's true, but I think something bad happened at Zoro's home to motivate him to go back. You know? That makes sense, right?" Usopp leaned even closer, nearly poking Sanji's eyes out with his long nose. "Because, well... If that's the case I think he'd come back. Especially if _you_ talked to him."

Sanji turned wide eyes on Usopp. "What... what makes you think that?" he asked carefully. "We always fight. He'd probably want to stay away more if I spoke to him." It felt like he was breaking his own heart just to say the words. All the fights he'd ever had with Zoro and all the ways they could have been resolved popped helpfully into his head.

Usopp sighed quietly, pursing his lips for a moment. "It's hard to explain. But, everyone knows you guys are good friends. Better friends than you seem to think you are, apparently," he said with the most honest expression Sanji had ever seen him wear.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nami cut in, peeling an orange and switching her eyes between Usopp and Sanji.

"Nothing," Usopp answered quickly, though not as suspicious as he usually seemed.

"Yeah," Sanji concurred with the lie, managing a small smile for Nami's benefit. "Do you three see him anywhere?" he asked as a sort of redirect. He knew they would have said something if they had seen Zoro.

Luffy sighed, his face the picture of childish disappointment. "I guess he didn't want to have lunch with me," Luffy mumbled, pouting down at the tabletop as he shoveled food into his mouth.

Vivi patted Luffy on the back. "There, there. I'm sure he only fell asleep somewhere," she soothed. "Did you ask him to have lunch with us, Luffy-san? Perhaps, if you didn't, he wasn't sure if he should or could have lunch with us."

The blond glanced at Usopp uneasily. He didn't like to lie to his friends. He'd only ever done it a few times, but he thought that if he ever was going to know how Usopp seemed to be okay with lying to them he would know by then. He didn't. Sanji took a breath of dishonest air and dispelled it almost immediately. He wasn't sure what would come out when he spoke, but lying about something as important as a presumed lost friend, saying he knew nothing, he didn't think that was even a possibility. Sanji closed his lips tightly and hoped to know why he was going along with it in the very near future.

"He might be eating on the roof again," Nami suggested, turning her big brown eyes around the table, apparently watching her words sink in. "Even though it's really hot, he goes up to the roof when he doesn't want to be around us, so he's probably up there."

"Hey! He's not avoiding us!" Luffy pouted indignantly. "He's just busy! Right, Sanji?"

Sanji jumped. "Why me?" he questioned, his voice a little shrieky. "What makes you think I have any opinion on this situation whatsoever? On any situation concerning Zoro? I don't any more than you do! I don't care! We're not even friends!" The blond stood abruptly under the pressure of prying eyes and stormed away from the table.

Behind him, Sanji heard Usopp say, "He just misses Zoro a lot."

"I do not!" Sanji shouted to the entire cafeteria and made his exit swiftly.

oOo

What a miserable day it had become. Try as he might, Sanji could not find Zoro anywhere in the school. And after his outburst in the cafeteria, he couldn't even face the friends that he could find. Sanji was just having a really bad day. All he wanted to do was crawl into his bed and hide for the duration of the school year. Better yet, for the duration of his life.

The final bell was angel song. The sight of the road was the most glorious countryside. His friends were conveniently nowhere to be seen. For once in his life, it seemed like the stars had aligned in his favor.

"See you guys tomorrow," a voice grunted somewhere off to the right of Sanji's beeline.

"Are you sure you don't want us to come over?"

"Yeah, Zoro-aniki, we could go with you!"

Sanji stopped dead in his tracks. He looked around as calmly as he could, hoping he hadn't misheard with hopeful ears. And, by God, he hadn't. Not ten feet away, Zoro was standing with his back to Sanji, talking to a boy with a weird headband and a boy who was wearing black sunglasses. The blond nearly laughed it was so easy to spot Zoro now.

Zoro shook his head. "No, thanks. Maybe some other time." His voice was barely more than a sigh. He sounded depressed if Sanji wasn't mistaken. And, now that he was thinking about it, he remembered Usopp saying something about Zoro looking sad earlier. The laughter he'd been on the verge of disappeared entirely.

He stood stock still and watched as Zoro parted ways with the strange boys and made to leave the school grounds. Sanji's better judgment told him to call out to Zoro, get his attention and ask what was wrong. But, although he considered himself to be a very cautious person, he did not listen to his better judgment. After Zoro was just barely out of his sight, Sanji quietly took off after him.

Wherever Zoro was going was in the opposite direction of the orphanage, Sanji noticed with the smallest pause. He hid behind a tree while Zoro waited at a crosswalk and as they stood in their respective places, Sanji wondered how lost they were about to get.

Carefully, Sanji snuck along behind buildings and trash cans and trees, keeping at least twenty feet away from Zoro at all times. It wasn't long before he realized Zoro knew exactly where he was going. There were no pauses, no looking both ways before shrugging, and no sheepishly asking a stranger for directions. He was very deliberately leaving the metropolitan area.

After a while, when buildings were fewer and roads became narrower, Zoro began greeting people as he passed them. And, to Sanji's great surprise and amazement, people greeted Zoro back. Sanji wasn't sure if he was happy for or jealous of Zoro.

The greetings grew more frequent and weirder as they got further away from the city. People seemed sad when they saw Zoro and some even patted him on the back. That made Sanji very curious and, not so different from before he found Zoro, very worried.

"What are you doing sneaking around like that?" a snappish grown-up voice called from somewhere behind Sanji. He didn't stick around long enough to find out if they were talking to him or not; his legs sent him after Zoro faster than he could comprehend.

Sanji thought he'd lost Zoro around a corner or something, but when he burst into a big, flat, square building to escape what he had convinced himself was an old English constable, he found Zoro standing in the middle of the wide open room. The sound of the door slamming open with him and swinging shut behind him bounced off the wood-panel walls and startled Zoro visibly. And then they were standing there in complete silence, alone in a wooden room devoid of furniture. Sanji couldn't help but wonder if he'd fallen into the rabbit hole.

"What are you doing here?" Zoro asked, staring at him in wide-eyed surprise.

Sanji kept looking around, even though he'd already seen all there was to see in the room. When he let his eyes rest on Zoro for more than a second, he said, "I should be asking you the same thing."

The older boy flinched back as if offended. "I live here! What's your excuse?" he snapped, crossing his arms over his chest only to drop them at his sides again and ball his fists. He didn't seem very glad to see Sanji, the blond observed, frowning. That was about spot on with what Sanji had been expecting.

"Well... Luffy and the others... They- Well, they missed you! They were going out of their minds with worry, so I..." Sanji started to facepalm in embarrassment, but he stopped himself. _Persevere_, he told himself. "I saw you leaving school so-so- I, uh, I just followed you. Y'know, to see if you were alright and tell the others! That's all!" he stammered, giving his shoes the glare of their life.

Zoro's whole face twitched. He was frowning deeply, clenching and unclenching his fingers repeatedly. "Really?" Zoro asked after a minute of the most uncomfortable contemplative silence Sanji had ever been a part of. "They missed me?"

"Of course they did, idiot," Sanji told him, not looking up from his shoes. "And I… I was somewhat… kind of worried about you, too. A little." His face felt like it was going to explode. He couldn't believe he'd said the words. His pride would likely never recover. "Wh-why did you leave anyway?" he redirected. Sanji could only hope that would help.

Zoro was staring at him, he could feel it. "_You_ missed me?" he asked, something akin to disbelief or offense in his voice.

Sanji shut his eyes tightly. "Can we please gloss over that detail? I answered your question, now answer mine. Why did you leave?"

The air seemed too thin. It felt too hot and too cold inside that wooden room. He wanted to look at Zoro and at the same time he would rather die than meet his eyes. "I won't go back," Zoro said. Sanji heard him take a step, but he still did not look up. "I can't. I have a promise to uphold."

"To whom?" Sanji cut in, glowering at the ground. "Certainly not to Luffy, if you plan on staying here. You can't just abandon our crew, you know. _That's_ a promise you have to uphold."

"He'd understand," Zoro replied with thinly veiled annoyance. "Before I joined his 'crew,' back when it was just him, I told him that if being his friend and nakama ever got in the way of my dream, I'd leave."

Sanji steeled himself briefly before finally looking up. "How could being a friend get in the way of your dream?" he asked, poison in his voice. "You want to be the greatest swordsman in the world, right? Do you think we wouldn't do everything in our power to help you achieve that?"

"That's not what this is about," Zoro bellowed, taking a huge step toward Sanji. "It's not that I think you would get in the way; I know you guys are great nakama, it's just-" Zoro's voice broke off and he grimaced. "It's just… unintentional. You guys didn't mean to… And I didn't…" He trailed off again and that's when Sanji really started to worry.

The blond took a few steps toward Zoro. "What happened?" he asked. He never should have thought Zoro left them for anything other than a good reason. Sanji didn't know what he'd previously thought Zoro left for, but he berated himself for it now. He'd been too presumptuous, he told himself sternly, as he moved to help Zoro in any way possible.

Zoro stared, frowning, at a spot somewhere behind and to the right of Sanji's head. "I can't go back with you, y'know," he mumbled, his eyes glazing over.

It was Sanji's turn to frown. "I didn't ask you to come back, yet. Don't get ahead of the program, here. I'm only asking what happened," Sanji clarified. He didn't know what to make of Zoro's avoidance, but he didn't believe it meant anything good for the situation.

"It isn't even any of your business. There's nothing anybody can do anymore," Zoro said. For the first time to his recollection, Sanji observed that Zoro looked like he might cry. "I have to become strong. I can't focus on that when all of you are…" Zoro's words dropped off and he sniffed loudly. "I just have to focus," he reiterated.

"Why can't you do that at home? What is it we're all doing that keeps you from focusing?" the blond asked, holding his hand out to the mid-point of the space between them. "You know we'd help you do anything. _Be_ anything."

Zoro groaned in a much exaggerated way, Sanji thought, and then he scrubbed at his face with both hands. "I know that, but you… I just get distracted. By all of you. You can't help it, you can't change it… I just have to train on my own. It's better that way," he said, perhaps thinking that was explanation enough. For Sanji, it was not.

"I don't think it is. How can we distract you, anyway, when you're running off all the time?" Sanji asked, regaining some annoyance at Zoro. "You aren't making any sense, Zoro."

"The world doesn't make sense!" Zoro shouted suddenly. "Nothing does anymore! I don't have to make sense! She's _dead_! There's nothing else to make sense _of_!"

Sanji frowned. He felt dizzy and a bit like he was off his feet. "Who's dead?" he asked in a voice he must've borrowed from a younger child, because it did not sound at all like his own.

Zoro hiccupped and sniffed at the same time, glaring hard at the floor. "My best friend. My rival. The only person who could ever beat me in a match!" he related, scrunching up his nose. "She's dead now, and I wasn't there to… help or whatever. Anything. I got distracted by you—all of you! I could've helped her if I hadn't been distracted!"

His heart felt cold, but his brain was still working. "Are you blaming _us_ for your friend's passing?" Sanji asked flatly. "Are you really?"

"No. No, that's not what I'm saying at all!" Zoro shook his head furiously. "It's _my_ fault! I should've been here! Then she wouldn't have… She'd still be… Kuina would…" He hiccupped again and rubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand like his life depended on it. "S-so I c-can't be distracted a-anymore! I h-have to… train, and… and… I can't…" Zoro's voice had become little more than the most heartbroken whine Sanji had ever heard.

A small droplet fell to the floor with the tiniest little "plink." Sanji looked down at it, then up at Zoro. "I'm sorry that your friend died," he said quietly. "The thing is, it's not your fault. My, uh… my mom always used to say that everything happens for a reason. A lot of people say that and I think it's true," Sanji told him with a wavering voice, stepping within an arm's length of Zoro. "It's okay to be sad, but it's not your fault, Zoro."

Zoro looked up at him, eyes wide. "What- Why are _you_ crying?!" Zoro shouted, the tears in his own eyes yet unshed. "You didn't even know her! You don't know what it's like- You-you can't cry for her! You're not allowed!"

"Who says I'm crying for her?" Sanji asked, remembering what it had felt like in the first few days after his mom had died. Zoro could think what he wanted, Sanji decided, but no matter what he thought, Sanji understood.

"Well, don't cry for _me_," Zoro nearly shrieked, sounding put-off by the very idea. "I don't need you to feel sorry for me!"

Before Zoro could get any further in his rant and before Sanji could talk himself out of it, the younger boy wrapped his arms around Zoro. Some small part of Sanji's being urged him to come up with a manly reason for his actions, but there were none to be found. None but sympathy.

"What are you doing?" Zoro asked loudly, spreading his arms wide out of Sanji's reach, but not rejecting the gesture. "Y-you've heard my reason. You can… you can leave now!"

Sanji laughed once and shook his head, earning for his troubles a salty tear dripping into his mouth. "I never said I'd leave," he told Zoro, putting a hand on the back of his green head. "Besides, someone ought to here to tell you when you've gotten lost."

"B- I'm not lost! I got exactly where I meant to go, see?" Zoro insisted, following Sanji's guiding hand with more than a bit of half-hearted resistance. He ended up with his head on Sanji's shoulder. "I'm not so hopeless that I'd get lost on the way home."

"I didn't mean lost on roads, Zoro," Sanji explained, patting him on the back and sniffing so he would drip onto Zoro's shirt. Zoro seemed to relax against him and Sanji took that to mean he understood. A moment later, warmth and wetness on his shoulder confirmed it.

**In case you were confused, which I don't doubt 'cause I'm really vague and too lazy to rewrite the ending, Sanji means that Zoro is putting himself on the wrong path by blaming himself for Kuina's death. That aside, TT^TT Poor Zoroooooooooooo...!**


	49. Almost

**Sorry it's been so long! I really don't have any time to explain myself, not that you'd want to hear it, but I shall say that this is unedited. However, it should be readable. ;) Enjoy!**

The walk home was a solemn one. Even though Sanji thought it was awkward, Zoro accompanied him through the dark town at his own insistence. He had asked if Zoro was going to stay, but the older boy had just shaken his head and urged their sober walk onward into the night.

They hadn't said a word to each other since Sanji had asked Zoro whether he was staying, but Sanji wanted to say something. He considered himself pretty good with silences, but after their heartfelt conversation, although it seemed to him that there would never again be anything wrong with their friendship, it was damn uncomfortable. Silence was fine. Uncomfortable—now that was a whole different can of worms.

"So, uh… How are you doing at school…?" Sanji asked, after a good minute of groping around in his brain for decent conversation. He thought it was more than an understatement to say that he failed.

Zoro stopped walking and Sanji stopped beside him. Zoro met his eyes for the first time since he'd hugged him, but it was not for any profound reason. "Small talk? Really?" Zoro questioned, raising a very unimpressed brow. He maintained about four more seconds of eye-contact before Zoro seemed to realize that they were, in fact, staring at each other, at which point the older boy looked away and started on towards the orphanage again.

The blond frowned. He followed Zoro hesitantly, hanging back because, really, what was he going to do? What was he going to say? He couldn't think of anything.

"You better not be getting your feelings hurt," Zoro called back hastily. "I just don't want to talk about school."

Sanji looked up at the back of Zoro's head. "What, then?" he asked carefully. Zoro didn't answer.

The night was cold and clear with just a vague trace of sunset left on the horizon. Sanji could see his breath hanging in the air, despite the efforts of his favorite hoodie. Once in a while, they would pass a person or two, but that was it. That side of the island was sleeping.

He sighed. It had only been about fifteen minutes since they'd left the dojo, but Sanji already missed Emotional Breakdown Zoro. Being around Normal Zoro in cold, dark silence made him feel lonely. If he could think of anything to ask that he thought Zoro would answer, Sanji would blurt it out faster than he'd ever said anything in his life, but everything that came to mind, which wasn't much, was "small talk" or a sensitive subject. He should probably work on his conversational skills.

"I said not to get your feelings hurt," Zoro said out of the blue, his shoulders hunched up to his ears.

"I'm not," Sanji responded, surprised. He started to make a comment about how Zoro was always assuming Sanji was upset with him, but he decided against it. Better not to start a fight so soon after the resolution of one, Sanji decided.

Zoro turned around to walk backwards and stared at Sanji. "Then why did you get all quiet?" he asked, suspicion in his voice.

Sanji flashed back to Zoro crying on his shoulder. "No reason," Sanji muttered and returned to watching his feet.

"If you're pitying me-"

"I'm not," Sanji reiterated for about the billionth time that day. He was really starting to lose his patience with Zoro's unwaveringly rude opinion of him. No matter how he had been before, Sanji was different now because Zoro was different. He got a strange feeling when he thought about telling Zoro that.

The older boy stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, just out of the reach of a street lamp. "Then why are you being so… abnormal?" he asked Sanji. Perhaps he was frowning. Sanji couldn't tell; he was standing in the light while Zoro was in the shadows.

"Nice word," Sanji commented meekly, ducking his head and raising his shoulders in an attempt to warm his ears. He didn't actually think it was a nice word, but he felt compelled to say it was. He wasn't exactly sure what his motive at the core was, but somewhere near the surface was a need to distract Zoro from his thought process.

"Answer me," Zoro ordered. Sanji thought Zoro had narrowed his eyes at him, but he couldn't say for sure.

The blond lowered his eyes again. "I don't want to." He didn't feel like himself anymore. His legs were weak, his words were quiet, and he couldn't seem to make eye-contact for suitable periods of time. As for _why_ he was being abnormal, as Zoro put it, he felt the reason would make Zoro mad or otherwise upset to the point of not wanting to talk to him. Again. This dance was getting old.

"Answer me anyway."

Sanji blinked and he felt his eyelashes brush his cheeks. His words were flying out the open windows of his brain as he stood there staring at the sidewalk in the cold. He hoped—for the first time ever, if he recalled correctly—that Zoro would just get tired of waiting for him to answer and change the subject. But, he wasn't a lucky person.

"Sanji, if you don't tell me, I'll know you're-"

"Uncomfortable? Yeah," Sanji cut in, still not looking up. "You dodged a subject, now I get to dodge one, okay? Moving on."

Zoro visibly frowned, which did not bode well for Sanji, but he didn't say anything. Taking that cue, Sanji started walking quickly and literally out of the spotlight and ducked his head as he passed Zoro, who was hesitantly following his lead. He didn't want to raise his own hopes, but it looked like Zoro wasn't going to force him to say something he shouldn't. Then again, there was that thing about luck lurking in the corner of his mind.

They had only been walking for a very few minutes before Zoro spoke again. "I should be heading back," Zoro said with a hidden grudge in his voice. Sanji cursed to himself.

It was selfish of Zoro to play that card. Zoro was the one, after all, who had insisted they walk back together. It was clear to Sanji that Zoro was trying to get him to confess, and even clearer that he couldn't really tell Zoro what was bothering him, but that damn threat wasn't empty. And he _didn't _want to walk home by himself, after everything, with bad blood between them.

"Wait." Sanji sighed, hanging his head and turning around. Reluctantly, he looked at Zoro. "I just don't want to say something wrong," he explained. He sounded pleading to his own ears and he hoped that he hadn't surrendered any information about what he didn't want to say with his tone.

Zoro pursed his lips. Sanji hoped that meant he was thinking about it, rather than leaving without considering Sanji's side of things. He was thoughtfully quiet for a moment, and then he took a deep breath, apparently steeling himself. "Ask me anything," Zoro said, a gravely serious expression seizing his face.

And Sanji had to do a double-take, for all the good it would do him. "Excuse me?" he questioned, a solitary laugh of confusion bubbling out in a snort. "You- you heard what I said, right? I don't want to say the wrong thing, Zoro, and that includes-"

Zoro cut him off; "I know. I heard you. And this is my answer." Zoro walked up beside Sanji, who was growing increasingly unsure of Zoro's mental stability. The older boy averted his eyes again, looking down abashedly. "Stop looking at me like that," he grumbled. "Just ask me whatever you want."

He didn't know where to start. There were piles and piles of things stacked precariously on the tip of his tongue, but not a one of them wanted to jump down. An angry little quip about Zoro trying to trick him sort of half-escaped, but it fell short and formed a very smart "uh." He expected Zoro to make fun of him or snap, but he didn't. Zoro simply gestured for them to begin walking again, and so they did.

The last time he'd tried to ask Zoro something—something important, anyway—Zoro had refused to answer. The only luck he'd ever had with talking to Zoro about his past was that very afternoon, and Sanji felt like that sharing, that invitation to enter Zoro's world would not have happened if he had not stalked Zoro back to his home. That, Sanji thought, invalidated any kind of success he had gained. He had been too straightforward in his approach and, though he did not regret gaining the information that he had, he regretted the tactic with which he gained the information.

"Sorry," Sanji blurted.

Zoro glanced at him. "It's okay," he said, and it made Sanji feel a little better, even though he was sure Zoro couldn't know what he was apologizing for.

As they walked through the town, Sanji gathered his wits. Zoro wasn't pushing him, but Sanji knew it wouldn't be long before they cycled back around to the start of their awkward and tense conversation if he didn't think of something better to ask.

Sanji cleared his throat. "Uhm… How, I mean… No- yeah, how long did you l-live there? At the dojo, I mean," he stuttered, feeling the prickle of Zoro's eyes on him heat up his skin.

"Much better," Zoro commended, kicking a pebble off the sidewalk. Sanji almost said "thank you," but he waited. The green-haired boy continued after a short pause; "I never lived just there for more than a week at a time, but the answer in somewhere around two years."

He sounded sad. Sanji wanted to hug him again, but Zoro was probably doing his best to remain neutral and Sanji didn't want to ruin that for him. Everything about Zoro's tone and posture told Sanji that if he gave pity or condolences, that would be it. Zoro would go back to being heart broken. So, Sanji decided to try and distract him without being completely obvious. "Then… if not there, where did you live before the orphanage?" he asked.

Zoro was quiet for a minute. "Here and there," Zoro answered a little gruffly.

Sanji looked at him. It sounded to Sanji like Zoro had been homeless. He did not say anything about it. Instead, he moved on to other subjects. "I've been… wondering for a while, uh… When did you and Luffy meet? And why- I mean, how, er…"

"How did we become friends?" Zoro finished for him, amusedly. Sanji laughed and nodded, and Zoro gave a falsely melancholic sigh. "The truth is, I'm not really sure. We met… I dunno, four years ago? Something like that. He came up to me with his brother close behind and he said 'You're gonna join my crew!' and walked away." Zoro snorted to himself. "That still kind of annoys me. Who just says something like that?"

Sanji laughed. "Only Luffy," he said, smiling and fondly shaking his head at the recollection of his first encounter with Luffy.

For a moment, there was something in the air that wasn't quite comfortably. Sanji didn't know what it was, but he knew it wasn't coming from him. He looked to Zoro to see what the matter was, but whatever it had been, Zoro was moving on.

"Anyway, I was determined to stay away from him until I wasn't anymore," Zoro finished vaguely, shoving his hands further into his pockets.

That was strange. Sanji wanted to ask what really went down, to get the play-by-play of Luffy and Zoro's first days as friends, since he'd heard from the others that they were the founders of their "crew." The Captain and First Mate. But, somehow or other, he'd stepped on another landmine and that topic felt off-limits too. Sanji wished he had a road map of Zoro's brain.

The orphanage was visible in the distance far too soon. Sanji's conversational attempts had all crashed and burned horribly, so he thought he should probably stop kicking a dead horse, but with Zoro's impending departure so close he couldn't help himself.

"When is your birthday?" Sanji blurted. It was a stupid question, completely random, but honest and, Sanji believed, safe.

Zoro looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Huh…?"

"It's not a hard question," Sanji muttered, embarrassed.

Zoro was still frowning in confusion and suspicion, if Sanji was not mistaken, but he answered anyway: "November eleventh."

Sanji nodded to himself, noting the date and the hesitancy in Zoro's voice. He didn't know what could be wrong with asking someone's birthday, but he was almost certain he'd done it. On a completely different note, Sanji realized that Zoro's birthday was only about a month away. He would have to figure something out for that.

With a squirmy sort of attitude, Zoro looked at him. He seemed to be waiting for something, but Sanji didn't know if it was something he was supposed to say or do. Sanji hoped it wasn't too important, because he had no idea what he was supposed to do. It didn't appear to be hurting Zoro's feelings, but it did look like Zoro was getting annoyed at him.

"Why did you ask?" Zoro asked as they passed under a street lamp, raising his eyebrows like the question was obvious.

The blond shrugged. "No reason. I just didn't know before."

Apparently, that was the wrong answer. "Well, didn't the others tell you?"

"No. I don't know. I asked you because I didn't know and now I do," Sanji responded, looking at Zoro sideways. "You don't have to sound offended."

"But-" Zoro groaned. "Don't do anything, okay? No birthday. Whatever you wanted to know that for, just stop it right now."

Sanji turned his head toward Zoro fully. He blinked once and started to ask why, but thought better of it. Instead, he hummed his agreement and crawled back into his confusion at Zoro's weird behavior. But at the end of the day, he thought, he would not hold it against Zoro. His friend had just passed away; he could be weird and temperamental if he wanted to.

However, along with weird and temperamental, Zoro had apparently also decided to be averse to the silence that was Sanji's only saving grace. He kept huffing and looking at Sanji like he was supposed to say something again. The worst part was Zoro didn't give him any indication as to what he wanted Sanji to say. Or if it was something that Zoro wanted to say himself, Sanji couldn't figure out what it might be.

"Is everything okay?" Sanji asked stiffly after he'd caught Zoro staring at him for the fifth time.

Seemingly surprised at being called out, Zoro jumped and looked away. "Yeah," he grunted unconvincingly. "Yeah, everything's fine." Zoro ducked his head and eyed the pavement, walking just a bit faster.

The blond sighed. It seemed to him that the subject would be dropped, which was most definitely a good thing for him, but he couldn't let it be when Zoro was obviously bothered by something. "Y'know, if there's something on your mind, you could just tell me," he said, looking at Zoro sympathetically. "No matter what it is."

Zoro looked at him out of the corner of his eye. They studied each other for a minute and Sanji wondered if this leg of the conversation would lead anywhere. But just when he was going to invalidate his own statement somehow or other, Zoro spoke up: "It's not… very important."

"If it's important enough to bother you, it's important enough to mention," Sanji told him seriously. It occurred to him that he might be embarrassed later when he inevitably thought back on what he said, but he willed away the flush in his cheeks, if only for the moment.

The older boy blushed up to his ears, Sanji could see that much even in the dark. "It's- uh… Well… Look!" Zoro pointed with his whole arm and looked sharply up ahead. "The orphanage. You're home."

Indeed, when Sanji looked away from Zoro the orphanage was only a little bit up the road, but they still had some time in Sanji's book. "No changing the subject, Marimo," he said, reaching out and laying a hand on Zoro's arm to slow him down physically and conversationally. "Just say it."

"Everyone's probably worried about you, dart brow, you should-"

"I won't go in until you say it," Sanji interrupted. "Whatever you want to say. And may I remind you, it's getting awfully cold out here."

Zoro looked peeved. Sanji supposed he couldn't blame him, as he was currently strong-arming Zoro, but he did not feel bad for him on that matter. "It's stupid," Zoro grumbled, pouting in his unique scowly way. "I shouldn't have mentioned anything."

"You didn't, actually, if you can recall that far back," Sanji reminded him with a roll of his eyes. Despite himself, Sanji felt a smile creeping up on him at Zoro's bashful behavior. "You can't get out of it, Zoro. Now out with it."

For all his bravery and brashness, Zoro was very relatable in that moment to a somewhat indignant deer caught in the headlights. His brows were furrowed together tightly and his bottom lip was sticking out slightly and Sanji had half a mind to laugh. But then, he supposed, if he were to laugh, Zoro would not answer.

"I just… I wanted to know if…" Zoro paused, tapping the toe of his boot on the pavement and then glancing at Sanji. Zoro shook his head very quickly and frowned. "Never mind," he muttered and ran off before Sanji could say anything to stop him.

oOo

At school on a Wednesday, after not really talking to Sanji since he'd run off and left him in front of the orphanage that night, Zoro was finally ready to talk to him. Maybe. At least, he hadn't thought of a way to talk himself out of it yet.

It was closer to the end of the school day than the start when Zoro found himself in front of Sanji's locker, sweating and itchy with anticipation, despite a chill in the hall. He wasn't sure what Sanji would say or who would be with him, but his basic plan of attack, which in itself was further than he usually thought things through, was to ask what he wanted to ask outright. _Be blunt_, he told himself. _That always works._

A few kids looked at him as they passed; perhaps they knew whose locker he was in front of. But, although there was caution and suspicion in their eyes, Zoro just crossed his arms and ignored them. Whatever anyone thought, it didn't matter. He had to talk to Sanji and that was the important thing.

Zoro looked around carefully, avoiding the extreme fault of looking eager or nervous. No one stood out as having the eyebrows he was looking for, which made Zoro sigh. There wasn't a lot of time until he had to get a move-on.

Steadily, the hall emptied out to only a few people and Zoro wondered if Sanji would even come to his locker at all. He'd forgotten which classes Sanji had and when in the time that he'd spent as a nomad, but he had been certain upon arrival at school that morning that this would be the time to catch him. Zoro hoped he was not wrong, but after a glance at the clock and a realization that there was only four minutes left until his next class, he became less and less sure.

Down one of the halls, Zoro could hear a loud conversation, at first only indecipherable shouts, then word-for-word. Out of several voices, he recognized Usopp and Nami's obnoxious voices and his ears perked. He didn't feel like listening to their carrying on, but chances were high that Sanji was with them.

"-ut this is enough to get him fired the normal way!" Nami was shouting.

"Yeah, you could just go talk to the principle! The other kids'll back us up!" Usopp raved.

Then they rounded the corner, all in a row, Nami, Luffy, Sanji and Usopp respectively, and Zoro saw Sanji shaking his head. "No. That's not enough for me," Sanji said, significantly quieter than Nami and Usopp. "I don't want this guy to get off easy."

"Alright!" Luffy cheered, throwing his head back and laughing in a way that wasn't quite as cheerful as his usual. "That gives me an opportunity to kick his ass!"

Sanji shook his head again. "No way. I'm the one he hurt, I'm going to be the one to kick his ass."

Zoro stepped away from the locker a bit, trying and failing to conjure words. Nonetheless, he got their attention. Four faces lit up like Christmas trees, which was a drastic change from their previous frowns. "Hey Zoro! I've been looking all over for you!" Luffy called, running up to him like he was gearing up for a tackle-hug.

"Where've you been all this time?" Nami asked, faking indignation poorly.

"I thought you were dead or something!" Usopp squawked, heaving a sigh of relief so big Zoro could smell his breath.

Sanji didn't say anything right away and that had Zoro worried. On the blond's right temple there was a big red mark that looked like it had been made by a soccer ball or some similarly sized object. As Zoro was about to ask what happened, Sanji's face broke into a grin.

"Just in time," Sanji said, stopping a few feet in front of Zoro as Luffy made impact. The blond gave him a minute to adjust to Luffy's greeting before continuing; "Wanna get someone fired?"

**Hahaha, that is actually my ending. xD I'm going to try to get the next chapter done and out before Christmas, though I make no promises. However, if it goes how I planned, chapter 50 (MILESTONE) will be very, very special.**


	50. Unexpected

**Hey guys! Been a while, I know, but gimme a drum-roll anyway... It's chapter 50~! That's a big deal! I've never gotten that far with anything before, let alone with a story! *coughs* And it's pretty legendary, if I do say so myself. xD Well, maybe not legendary, but it's a good one.**

**Enjoy~**

Wednesday evening, they began spit-balling in Luffy and Zoro's room and Nami knew something was up.

Her first clue was the fact that Zoro was coming over later on. He was actually going to be there to help solve Sanji's problem and that in itself was huge. But her second clue, she thought, was much bigger and very promising. Sanji was glad.

For so long, Sanji's attitude concerning Zoro had been summarized best as furrowed brows and cowardice, which was only expected after Zoro suddenly left, completely fudging her plans. And she could go on for days about how stupid both of them had been without stopping to eat, sleep, or breath, but she didn't feel like ranting when things were moving along beautifully, such that Sanji was happy that Zoro was going to be there. Really, it must have been her lucky day.

She was walking alongside Sanji to go round up the missing person, being Zoro himself, formulating theories about what had happened to bring Sanji and Zoro back together, when suddenly she remembered something. "Ne, Sanji-kun, why were you so late getting home the other night?" Nami asked him, fighting off a grin.

The blond boy looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "Didn't I already tell you? I was just exploring," he claimed, rather unconvincingly in Nami's opinion. She was sure now that she was thinking properly that he had been with Zoro, but he was sticking to his boring story. Apparently, she'd have to crack him.

"What'd you explore?" Nami coaxed innocently. She wasn't being exceedingly subtle, but she hadn't been there when he first got home to hear the very first version of his lie, so he shouldn't find her suspicious.

Sanji shrugged. "Just the island. I saw some of the city and a bit of the backwoods. I didn't even know the island_ had_ a backwoods," he explained, gesturing randomly to the hall ahead of them. "It was… really interesting."

She narrowed her eyes at him, processing the information. "You'll have to take me there some time," she said, pretending to just idly mention it. Nami watched for Sanji's reaction, but there wasn't one. "You will, won't you?" Nami goaded, bumping shoulders with Sanji on purpose.

"… Sure, okay," Sanji agreed, nodding and smiling at her. "When do you want to go?"

_He's not tripping up…_ Nami thought, gritting her teeth. "Any time is alright," she said, her mind racing to keep ahead of the situation. She had to get him to give himself away. "Do you think Zoro would like to go?"

That time, Sanji reacted. He stumbled slightly on the smooth floor and looked at her with an expression of mild shock. "I… I guess? I don't know. He's never mentioned wanting to visit the boonies," Sanji replied, trying to play the confused card, but Nami wasn't buying it.

"Oh, really? Then what do you guys talk about? I mean, when I talk to you boys, I mention my travel plans a lot, don't I?"

"You don't actually talk about your plans-"

"The point is, have you and Zoro ever talked about where you want to go?" Nami interrupted, leveling a serious stare at Sanji. "Like, together?"

The blond boy sidestepped away from her. "Nami-san, you're being weird," he said, looking her up and down as they approached the elevator.

Nami sneered at him. "Just answer the question."

He shook his head and looked down like he wasn't going to answer, but then he sighed and took a deep breath. "You overestimate our friendship. We don't talk about that stuff," Sanji said with sad undertones in his voice that translated in Nami's head as an enormous depression cloud.

Nami patted his back consolingly, but she didn't skip a beat in her interrogation. "Then what _do_ you talk about?"

Sanji pressed the up button for the elevator and it appeared two seconds later. "I don't know," he answered with a shrug as they got on the elevator.

"Okay, well what did you talk about yesterday?" Nami probed, smiling her friendly smile at Sanji while internally smirking. "And I know you talked yesterday, because you two were way too chummy by the end of school today to not have talked yesterday."

The blond flushed a bright shade of pink. "Just… stuff. I asked him how he became friends with Luffy."

Nami raised an eyebrow. _This could be interesting_, she thought, biting her lip. "What did he say?" she asked. She knew the story of how Zoro and Luffy met and formed a crew, but she wondered what kind of revisions would be made to the epically friendly tale for Sanji's benefit. She really had no idea what would need changing, but just in case.

"It's funny that you ask that… He didn't say much. Everything was fine, and then he got all weird and left. It was really confusing," Sanji explained, almost like he was talking to himself. "Huh. I wonder what happened. I didn't even think he would talk to me today, he was so odd yesterday…"

The elevator dinged on the third floor and a couple of volunteers basically shoved them out of the elevator and proceeded down to the ground floor, talking loudly long after they were out of sight. "Well that was rude," Nami stated with a huff. She'd be sure to pay a visit to the volunteer break room later on and put something special in their tea.

"Zoro! The meeting started like ten minutes ago!" Sanji called down the hall, completely ignoring the annoying volunteers. "Hurry up!"

The redhead rolled her eyes. She didn't even know why they were on the third floor, let alone why Sanji was blindly shouting down the hall. Her suggestion had been that they check the lobby, maybe use the much-despised PA system that was only ever dusted off in cases of emergency. It would be in the vicinity of impossible to find Zoro just by wandering around. However, it allowed more time for her inquiries, so she did not immediately tell Sanji what a stupid plan it was.

"What else did you guys talk about?" Nami asked conversationally, skipping mercifully over her notion to mock Sanji about talking to a hallway.

Sanji heaved a sigh and slumped his shoulders. "Nami-saaaan… Can't you just let it be at 'I don't know?' Because, really, I _don't_ know. We didn't have any kind of riveting conversation, we never do." Sanji turned to her with a curiously furrowed brow. "Most of what we say to each other goes on without us stumbling through words! Such is the relationship of men. Now will you please, and I mean this in the nicest way possible, can it?"

She was appalled. Her eyes grew wide and her jaw fell slack and just when she thought nothing could be better, she thought Sanji had said something about her needing to can it, but she skipped that part. "You… You just called… what you have with Zoro… a relationship!" Nami shrieked with pleasure and grabbed on to the nearest limb, being Sanji's arm, and began jumping up and down. "And you talk with your eyes! Better yet, your bodies! I'm so happy for you Sanji-kun!" With another wail of delight, she reeled Sanji into her arms and forced him to join in her happy jumping.

It was about that time that Zoro rounded the corner and her joyous dance with her very favorite fledgling flamer came to an abrupt halt. Racing through her ecstatic mind was the thought that Sanji had known exactly where to find Zoro and she released a little squealing noise. It was so much like a soap opera that she just wanted to stage a fight followed by a steamy make-up scene.

"H-hey, uh." Sanji looked down and adjusted his shirt, pointlessly trying to shake Nami off him and trying to look smooth. "You're late."

oOo

Zoro frowned, very much against his will, and surveyed the two across from him with some semblance of objectivity. It didn't work. Nami was grinning, the annoying little witch, but Zoro could not find the strength of character to ask why she was doing so without snapping her head off. He also couldn't seem to get past the idea that Sanji and Nami had been hugging and jumping and giggling and, _ugh,_ he needed a break.

"For what?" Zoro asked after a long, quiet moment. He realized that Sanji had already said something about a meeting, but he could not care less about taking back his question.

Sanji frowned slightly. "If you didn't hear me, why did you come out?"

As Zoro internally cursed and scrambled for an excuse, Nami giggled. She was still holding on to Sanji's arm and she shook him like a ragdoll the second the words left his mouth. "Excellent choice of words!" she cheered in her shrill voice.

The green-haired boy narrowed his eyes, his excuse coming to him of its own volition. "I heard that thing and came to see what was dying," Zoro hissed through clenched teeth, gesturing with a flop of his arm at Nami.

Sanji did not seem very pleased. Zoro didn't know which part of the situation displeased the blond, but he chose to believe it was the fact that Nami was being so familiar with him. "Now, Zoro," Sanji began, shaking his head, "that was really rude. We were only looking for you so you would know that the _special meeting_ regarding school is in progress, in case you wanted to add your idiotic, Neanderthal opinion."

_Damn, I forgot about that._ He had been looking forward to another adventure, perhaps with less trouble involved, but he didn't much feel like it in the face of Nami's happiness and Sanji's attitude. However, upon remembering that they had only just gotten back on good, if a bit uncertain, terms, Zoro snorted out his anger for the moment and gestured to the elevator with a toss of his head. "What are you waiting for, then?"

Sanji and Nami agreed that they should get going with opposite demeanors; Sanji annoyed, Nami overjoyed. Zoro tried to hang back, but the gloomy, irritating blond stuck by him. The trip to whichever room they were meeting in was supposed to be a break for him, but with Sanji walking close by and Nami chuckling creepily and looking over her shoulder at them, there was no break to be had.

"I'll just… leave you two alone," Nami said randomly, winking at them and moving a bit farther ahead.

Sanji shook his head and grumbled something that sounded surprisingly like a complaint against Nami. He looked at Zoro out of the corner of his eyes. "You aren't making this easy," Sanji whispered, pursing his lips.

"What about you?!" Zoro whispered hoarsely. He wasn't entirely clear on what Sanji was talking about, but chances were he wasn't the only one "not making this easy."

Sanji looked taken aback. "Me?" he questioned with a hideous scrunch in his nose and a curl in his lip. "How am _I_ making things difficult? I reached out to you, forgave you, and let you get out of things you didn't want to talk about; I am making this as easy as anyone could, you jerk," Sanji snapped without raising his voice even once, and then he turned sharply to the left and stormed towards the stairs.

Zoro facepalmed. He hurried after Sanji, casting a hard look at the grinning redhead as he went. "Wait," he huffed, dragging his feet perhaps a bit more than necessary. His want to smooth things over was having trouble overpowering his want to win whatever kind of argument they were having, but he was soldiering on.

Before he could catch up, Sanji spun around to face Zoro. "For what? What am I waiting for? Because I'm really getting tired of waiting for whatever is supposed to come."

He tried to find the right words, but each half-sentence that formed in his brain never lived to completion. It wasn't hard to just explain that he didn't mean Sanji was doing anything wrong and that he simply did not believe that he himself had done anything wrong. It was simple, in fact, to plainly apologize for his clear misstep in the conversation and just move on with the evening. But he never did anything the easy way.

Instead of all the good and progress-making things he could've said, all he did say was, "Don't be mad."

A single blue eye widened with anger. In a whirl of blond hair and blue sweater, Sanji turned his back on Zoro and fled quickly into the stairwell. Zoro cringed, finding himself unable to move as his better judgment was finally telling him to shut up and leave things be.

"Wow, you really screwed that one up," Nami said flatly from behind Zoro.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," Zoro snapped without looking back at her, he wrenched the door to the stairwell open and started down towards the second floor landing—where the door was still easing back into place.

"It's not just my opinion; everyone else will think so, too," the annoying witch-girl called through the open door. "By the way, tell them they can start the meeting without me!"

Zoro shook his head, barreling onto the second floor. Whatever she had to say, he didn't want to hear it. She was so annoying, always rubbing his face in everything and hovering irritatingly on Sanji's side of the argument, no matter what he said. Zoro didn't feel like always being the bad guy, so he did not like Nami. And anyway he had bigger problems. He _always_ had bigger problems.

Halfway down the hall, Zoro could hear the commotion, and he knew right away that it was his friends. The shouting was not the first thing he noticed; rather, it was the incessant quacking. Then the shouting. And then, right as he was about to open the door that he had originally thought must already be ajar for how much sound was getting through, one person or another from inside the room smacked the door with a big angry thud.

"That- that wasn't fair! I wasn't ready!" Usopp squawked as clearly as if he were standing right next to Zoro.

Luffy's laugh seemed to shake the building. "Sure, okay! Wanna try again?"

Zoro opened the door without any idea what he would see inside, but he was not entirely surprised to find Luffy and Usopp standing at opposite sides of the room, each clutching a pillow to their chest. Vivi was holding Carue on the bottom bunk, watching with her typical mix of amusement and worry, and Sanji was standing beside her on the floor. Zoro expected to be glared at, but instead he wasn't even acknowledged.

"Ready?" Sanji called, looking between Luffy and Usopp.

"Set!" Vivi chirped, bringing her legs up and caging Carue to her chest.

"Go!" the two of them shouted together and Usopp and Luffy charged at each other.

"Gomu gomu no balloon!" Luffy shouted just before making a very loud and fluffy impact. Usopp was knocked flat on his back while Luffy barely moved and the bystanders cheered.

Vivi threw up her arms, releasing her duck to run around the room quacking. "Luffy-kun wins again! We have a champion!" she announced. Then, turning to Usopp, she said, "Sorry, Usopp-kun. He's really good at this game."

Shaking his head, Zoro stepped into the room. "What the hell kind of game is that?" he questioned. He'd never seen them play that game before. Sure, he'd seen activities similarly lacking in skill required and fun, but he hadn't seen Luffy and Usopp charging at each other for sport. He had to admit, it was a tiny bit amusing, even though Usopp didn't stand a chance.

Attentions were drawn to him. Luffy was helping Usopp up, but he stopped to greet Zoro with an excited retelling of his back-to-back victories. Usopp, after complaining that Luffy cheated, complained that Zoro had taken too long getting there. Vivi greeted Zoro with a bubbly disposition, and then she looked to Sanji, prompting Zoro to do the same.

The blond was very pointedly _not_ looking at Zoro, directing a very thin attempt at a smile towards the other two boys. "Now we're just waiting on Nami-san," Sanji said with a subtle curl of his lip, which Zoro did not believe had anything to do with Nami's lateness.

He had not wanted to relay the annoying redhead's parting words, but as a semi-silent awkwardness descended on the room, Zoro found himself blurting, "She said to start without her."

Everyone stopped and, with one exception, they all looked at him. "Really?" Usopp asked, gobsmacked by the very idea. "She hates it when we do that!"

"Yeah, is this a trick?" Luffy's dark eyes widened in question as he took a step towards Zoro. "Are you lying, Zoro?"

He shook his head. "Why would I? You know Nami would get revenge on all of us if I did that. There's no way I'd walk right into that," Zoro said gruffly, idling over towards the bunk bed, eyes focused on a tiny hole in the wall.

"That is true. It wouldn't really save us any time to start without her if she didn't want us to," Vivi added and, with a round of surprisingly emphatic agreement, so began the meeting.

As per usual, a few very stupid suggestions inserted themselves into the unified mind of the five friends. Luffy seemed to think he'd be able to punch Sanji's teacher in the gut a few times and all would be resolved. Usopp was trying to pitch his blueprints for a device that looked suspiciously like a bear trap. That idea was one that they hovered on at Sanji's request, but after Usopp projected its completion time at three months the idea was promptly pitched. Vivi, the innocent girl, suggested once more that they have the teacher terminated through regular channels, but, perhaps to their discredit, the boys pretended they didn't hear her.

More and more stupid ideas were thrown around for going on half an hour, getting everyone agitated and exhausting their brain power. Usopp suggested that maybe they'd used all their good prank ideas up already. No one argued. The room became very quiet and stuffy.

After a few oddly sullen moments, Vivi piped up. "Maybe Nami-san is the only one any good at making plans," she suggested. Most of the boys attempted to be offended, including Zoro, but Luffy agreed and the subject was closed with that, even if the others were good at making plans, too. Nami was the best and, since it was because she's a conniving extortionist, it was not an enviable title.

"What about some kind of trip wire?" Sanji suggested, turning out his palms as if presenting the idea to the room physically.

"And trip all your classmates?" Zoro snubbed without missing a beat. He didn't really care about Sanji's class for the most part, but something like that could cause people to get hurt again and they could get caught if that happened. It was a very close call last time.

Luffy raised his hand from his spot sprawled out on the floor. "I wouldn't trip! I'd step over it! Usopp would trip!" he shouted matter-of-factly.

"Hey! I would not!" Usopp retorted, kicking Luffy's foot.

Apparently ignoring Luffy and Usopp, Sanji made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat. "Well, have you got any better ideas, Seaweed-for-brains?" he asked, angrily turning a glare on Zoro. "Because, so far, you haven't contributed a thing."

Zoro narrowed his eyes. "Hey, shut up. I'm _thinking_, Dart-brow," Zoro sneered. Vivi, who was sitting between him and Sanji, flinched. "You know, trying to come up with something _decent_," Zoro added.

The blond's glare became more venomous. "Excuse me, Mister Mastermind. I didn't realize you were the reigning decision-maker, Moss-ball," Sanji sniped, rolling his head moodily away.

"What is your problem?" Zoro asked, taking a lunging step towards Sanji. "The only reason I'm here is to help your sorry ass! Stop taking jabs and accept what I'm offering!"

Sanji stood and his stance was immediately aggressive. "That's impossible since you aren't offering anything!" he retorted, advancing on Zoro like he was ready for a fight.

That was the last thing he needed. The others were getting fidgety and he knew he should just sit down and not rise to the challenge for once in his life, but Sanji was staring at him defiantly and practically asking to be punched and Zoro couldn't do what was best for all of them when he wanted to do the opposite.

"Guys," Usopp said uncertainly, trailing off quietly.

Vivi nervously cleared her throat. Sanji was standing in front of her stiffly, separating her from Carue, and she was very noticeably uncomfortable. "C-calm down, Sanji-kun… Zoro-san…"

Zoro couldn't bring himself to let it go, but he didn't say anything either. He just stood his ground, keeping his calm for the others and letting his anger boil for Sanji. He didn't want to let everything go to hell, not so soon after their bridge of friendship had been rebuilt. The foundation was poorly done; he could feel their friendship shaking under them, about to fall through.

"Not gonna argue? Not gonna deflect? Not even gonna blame everything on me?" Sanji asked, widening his eyes for emphasis on the last question. "You must be seriously off your game. You know, because everything is _always_ my fault and it could _never_ be you."

"Like you can talk," Zoro snapped, his teeth clenched so tightly together it almost didn't come out.

Luffy sat up. He gave Zoro and Sanji a hard look, his trademark grin nowhere in sight. "That's enough," Luffy said, so completely serious that Zoro had to look away from Sanji's glaring eyes for a moment. They were being stupid to the point that Luffy felt he had to intervene. That said a lot.

But, when Zoro looked back at Sanji, fully prepared to back down, and saw that the blond boy was still glaring at him like he was public enemy number one, all his good sense seemed to fall out his ear.

"I'm not nearly as bad as you," Sanji said, shaking his head and passing over Luffy's words completely. "I mean, have you seen yourself lately? You've been a complete ass!"

Zoro barked a laugh. "I'd rather be an ass than a drama queen like you!" he hissed, stomping forward and jabbing a finger into Sanji's chest.

Sanji's eyes bugged out a little as he looked down at Zoro's finger poking him. "Ex_cuse_ me? Drama queen? What the hell?!" Sanji slapped Zoro's hand away.

Laughing again, this time more bitterly, Zoro rolled his eyes away from Sanji. "Yeah, like you didn't know! You're always playing the victim!" He jabbed his finger at Sanji again, this time causing his shoulder to budge. "Believe it or not, things don't always go your way! Not for you or anyone, so stop acting like you're so special!"

He could feel his barely healing wound open at his own words. Zoro shook as the Kuina-sized hole pulsed painfully. If that one thing, that one _perfect_ thing couldn't go his way, then obviously life couldn't favor Sanji. It wasn't fair and it definitely wasn't painless. He just felt all the more bitter that Sanji seemed to think he had the hardest life.

A rage was building in the room, almost physically pushing Zoro back. "You think I don't know that? I never claimed to be special and there's no way in _hell_ I thought everything would go my way!" Sanji gestured violently towards the window. "I didn't think _anything_ would ever go my way again! Obviously you're trying to make that the truth!"

Zoro rolled his eyes. He got the feeling that this was another "my mom's dead" thing and he was so freaking sick of those things he couldn't contain it. "I just don't feel bad for you is all! We've been over this before! You're not that important just because you've got no parents!"

"Why does it always come back to this?" Usopp questioned with wide eyes, looking between Vivi and Luffy.

Zoro didn't know. He was becoming a broken record. He kept repeating the things that he was so fiery about because Sanji was always repeating the same moody, annoying behavior that he'd had concerning the same situations that made Zoro angry. It was a very confusing, very vicious cycle and he suddenly got the feeling it would be ending very soon.

"That is not even _remotely_ what this is about!" Sanji snapped, leaning forward and invading Zoro's personal space bubble.

"Isn't it? I thought you were always throwing that in people's faces!" Zoro spat, not backing down.

"Zoro," Luffy warned, sitting up a little straighter. He was acting like this was Zoro's fault, like he should just let Sanji win and be done with it and that just made him that much angrier.

With another step forward, putting them almost nose-to-nose, Zoro sneered. "I don't_ fucking_ care," he hissed, dragging out the curse because he knew it would get on Sanji's nerves.

Just as he predicted, the blond's normally large blue eyes widened even further and his mouth fell open. Zoro smirked. "What did you just say to me?" Sanji spluttered, his voice sounding more like a gasp than actual words.

"I. Don't. _Fucking_. Care," Zoro repeated slowly with a malicious grin on his face. It was amusing to him how affected Sanji was by the word, gawking and flinching like he'd never heard anyone say it before. And maybe he hadn't, for all Zoro knew. That just made Zoro wanted to say the word more.

Carue gave a loud, pitiful quack and half-flew, half-ran across the room into Vivi's arms, avoiding the two boys locked intensely into their argument. "Oh, boys, you're scaring him!" Vivi cried, comforting her pet by rubbing her cheek against his feathers.

"Sorry, Vivi-chan," Sanji said very mildly, almost sarcastically.

"Aren't you going to stop to fawn over her and offer her your soul?" Zoro asked bitterly, not exactly sure where the words were coming from. He had tapped into the part of his brain that held nothing but annoying things that Sanji said or did and there was no stopping the flow of them.

Again, Sanji had the nerve to look shocked. "Pardon?" he asked, seeming to have no idea what to say.

Zoro felt his face heat up. "Always playing innocent," he said and it felt like a deflection, even though Sanji hadn't actually said anything even remotely like a comeback.

"What the hell are you talking about? I _am_ innocent!" Sanji said, sounding suddenly desperate. "I don't even know what's going on right now!" He made an exaggerated shrugging gesture with his hands up like he really didn't know, but he was still glaring at Zoro.

"Yeah, right! If anyone knows what's going on here, it's you," Zoro hissed with narrowed eyes. It sounded like he was alluding to the events that only they knew about; the incredibly personal, terribly fresh, painful and embarrassing events. But he wasn't. At least, he didn't mean to if he was. His words were just flying around unfiltered.

"Well, then no one knows what's going on here!" Sanji shouted, shoulders touching his ears. "I really have no idea!"

Zoro pulled a face. "Lying dartbrow!" He had no idea what he was saying anymore.

Sanji recoiled slightly. "Stupid marimo!"

"Idiot blond!" What was he even saying?

"Rude grass-head!"

"Whiny spiral-face!" _Why?_

"Shut up!"

"_Make_ me!"

Sanji grabbed him by the collar and lunged and Zoro braced himself to be kicked but that didn't happen. The space between them was no more. Sanji's face was _touching_ his face, lips on lips, his eyes squeezed shut and Zoro was so thoroughly silenced he didn't think he could ever talk again. In fact, he couldn't think of anything at all. Sanji, the person he considered his nemesis, was _kissing_ him. What else would happen? Would pigs fly? Would Luffy become a scholar? Would anything at all ever happen again? He had no idea. He really had no clue how to proceed, or what would happen. All he could do was stand there and wait to see how it all rolled out.

When Sanji took a step back, the room was silent and stale. Sanji had a triumphant air about him, but he was still glaring, still frowning, still standing offensively in front of Zoro.

Luffy and Usopp's eyes were wider than the moon and Vivi's jaw was on the floor. "Oh my," she muttered, flushing bright red.

Zoro couldn't say anything. He couldn't _do_ anything. He was stuck, completely frozen in time, mentally stalled until such a time as it was safe to continue living. He felt hot and sweaty all over and his mouth was open a little and his eyes hurt they were open so wide but he couldn't move to fix any of it.

With a huff, Sanji tossed his hair out of his face, turned on his heel and marched out of the room.

"Zoro," Luffy began as soon as the door was shut, "what… was that?"


	51. FUBAR

**So, hi everyone. I realize it's been a long time and I apologize for that. xD This chapter is... a grand load of not much progress. But after this it should move quicker. This one was just so juicy, though...!**

**Anyway, I hope you all have a fantastic week and I am going to be back with an update for YH and Wolves both pretty soon. ;)**

A certain curly-browed blond was pacing around behind the orphanage only minutes after he'd left his friends. And if he freaked out, if he shouted in alarm and then curled into a ball and cried a little, well, that was between him and the breeze.

oOo

"Zoro? Hello, Earth to Zoro!" Usopp snapped his fingers in front of Zoro's face and Luffy squished Zoro's cheeks, but still their mossy friend was completely out of it.

"Is he dead?" Luffy poked Zoro in the stomach repeatedly. "Usopp, do you think he's dead?"

Usopp frowned. "No, of course not," he hissed. "I have no freakin' clue what happened, though… Maybe he's in a standing coma? That's a thing, right?"

Luffy shrugged, raising his eyebrows. "Sounds real. Ne, Zoro, are you in a standing coma? Are you? Are you hungry?"

"Really?" Usopp asked, raising a very unimpressed brow at Luffy. "He's frozen in place, Luffy, I doubt his priority is a snack."

Luffy shrugged again, lifting one of Zoro's arms and then letting it drop limply back to Zoro's side. "Whenever I can't move, I always want a snack."

"That first part isn't even necessary," Usopp said with a roll of his eyes. He huffed and sat down on the bottom bunk, bored with trying to wake Zoro up. Despite Luffy messing around, it was quiet. Vivi had left the room a minute or two after Sanji left, only staying long enough to properly imprint the image of her cherry-red face on their brains. He kind of wondered what they were up to, but thinking about Sanji made his skin crawl a little bit. That may have been the most disturbing thing Usopp had ever seen in his life. Two of his friends kissing. Blegh. _Bet Nami would have loved it, though, that sicko…_

Usopp perked up. "Waaaait a second. Where's Nami in all this?" he asked suddenly, causing Luffy to pause with his finger poised at Zoro's nostril.

"Ehhhhh…" Luffy's face scrunched in thought. "I thought I remembered something about that… What was it? Nami was siiiiiicck, or…?" He rubbed his chin. "I can't remember. But that wasn't it."

A little slower than he thought possible with the size of the revelation, Usopp recalled Zoro telling them that Nami had given the go-ahead to start the meeting without her. She hadn't been there at all, for any of it, and when she inevitably heard about it, they would have an epic meltdown on their hands. Usopp scrubbed his face and groaned. "Oh God."

"What? I forget things all the time, Usopp, it's okay," Luffy said as if to cheer Usopp up, but he had _no_ idea.

"No, Luffy, it's not okay." Usopp sighed monstrously loud, turning a look of disdain to the gods. "Zoro is paralyzed, Sanji is missing, and Nami is gonna _flip_."

Luffy's face went absolutely blank. He blinked. He cut his eyes to Zoro's still form, then back to Usopp. Then, like it was the most pressing detail, he asked, "Why would Nami flip?"

Usopp gawked. "You're kidding right? Think about it!" Usopp heaved himself up and walked over to Luffy just to whack him on the chest with the back of his hand. "Think about what just happened, Luffy, and _then_ ask me why Nami would flip out!"

"I-" Luffy paused for a beat, took a breath, and then continued, "did think about it! But I still don't understand why Nami would flip out! That was pretty normal, wasn't it?"

"Are you serious?!" Usopp grabbed Luffy by the shoulders and shook him. "Sanji _kissed_ Zoro—that is _not_ normal!"

With a terrible, ragged gasp like the first post-mortem breath of a zombie, Zoro came to life. "Fuck!" Zoro clapped both his hands on his face, doubling over at the same time. "_Fuck_!"

"He's alive!" Luffy sang, throwing his arms in the air. "Ne, Zoro, are you hungry?"

oOo

Nami strolled back into the orphanage as if she'd never left, hands in the pockets of her dress. She tossed her head to get her hair right and pulled one hand out of a pocket for a moment only to bat the dust off her dress. _Good as new_, she thought huffily. In fact, she knew she was not as good as new, but there were extenuating circumstances and she could look a little rough if she wanted to. Nami was sure that, if she asked, no one would tell her she looked like a mess. And, of course, if they did, she would make them regret it. No matter what happened at the orphanage, she would blend in. _Even after the day I've had so far..._

"Ah! Thank goodness I've found you!" Vivi stumbled out of the stairwell, out of breath and lugging her duck.

The redhead tilted her head. Vivi was not a particularly unshakeable individual, very easy to fluster, but Nami didn't think that she had gotten her feathers ruffled over nothing. She wasn't sure how, but she knew something was up and it wasn't something good, according to the look on Vivi's face. However, she played it cool. "What's up?"

Vivi stopped in front of Nami and panted for an excruciating number of seconds before beginning her tale. "You... should've been... at the meeting," Vivi told her first, breaking for breaths. Carue, being the annoying duck he was, quacked to add emphasis to her words. Nami glared at him. "It was... insane." That pause had not been for breath. Nami felt her stomach sinking. "You really ought to have... you know, been there."

"Well, spit it out," Nami snapped, a little harsher than Vivi deserved, but she was having a bad day. "What did I miss?"

Carue quacked loudly and tried to hop out of Vivi's arms, but the blue-haired girl held fast. "W-well, the thing is it's-it's a bit hard to explain," Vivi stuttered, averting her eyes very pointedly and flushing bright pink. "It's... It's about Sanji-kun and Zoro-san..."

And her stomach hit bottom. Nami fought to make her expression level and then took a slow, cleansing breath. "Vivi. What happened?"

Vivi laughed nervously, becoming redder by the second. "Well, I, uh... Please do bare in mind, Nami-san that I am just the messenger, and there is a saying, a very popular one, about not harming-"

"Vivi." Nami said it like a warning, partnered with a very stern look, trying to get across to Vivi how very impatient she was. The blue-haired girl flinched.

"O-okay... Wh-what happened was, well, they were s-sort of arguing and- Well, I know that's not unusual, but that, uh, it was a little different from usual, somehow and I-I guess I know why now but it was- I mean-" Nami gave her another sharp look and Vivi hugged Carue tightly. "Sanji-kun kissed Zoro-san, okay, that's what happened!" Vivi spouted in a shrill voice.

One of Nami's hands came up to her forehead and the other one reached weakly out towards Vivi. She started to sway forward, grasped in slow-motion for anything to catch herself from falling-but she wasn't falling, not physically. Her brain was sprinting a mile a minute and finally it tripped and fell over the word "kissed," with a magnificent flop that took her jaw with it.

"N-Nami... san... You might want to, uh... b-breathe." Vivi put her hand on Nami's elbow and leaned down until she came as close as she could to gaining eye-contact. "You're turning kind of purple..."

Upon Vivi's prompting, Nami took a wheezy inhale. She felt her eyes widening, her mouth begin to move, but all she could do was squander away the time Vivi gave her to talk by looking like a fish. Her voice would not come.

"Now you say something... p-please?" Vivi waved her free hand in front of Nami's face and her annoying duck quacked. "Nami, you're scaring me... I thought you would be h-happy!" the blue-haired girl said shrilly.

Nami slowly raised her eyes to Vivi's and the other girl flinched. "You what?" Nami hissed, advancing one half-step towards Vivi, who had already begun cowering. "How could you even think that I would be happy...?!"

"W-well, I- I, uh, I assumed that you were, I- I mean, I thought you, er, wanted them to... b-be together?" Vivi tried, stepping back quickly. "W-was that not-?"

"That's not it!" Nami shouted, causing Vivi, Carue, and the poor twosome of volunteers at the reception desk to jump. "I don't just want them to be together! I want to be the one to _get_ them together! Of course I'm not happy! I missed _everything_!" And with that, her already bad day became the worst day and Nami could not be around people anymore, lest she commit homicide. The redhead started off towards the stairwell where she could stomp and scream as much as she wanted, but Vivi leapt in her way. "Vivi," Nami said sharply, the only warning she would give.

"Please wait!" Vivi cringed and squeezed her duck again. "You should know that they aren't together yet! It was some kind of fight tactic or something, that's all! Everything is bad now!"

For a minute, her brain didn't allow those words in. But when it did, a slow grin worked its way across her face. "Who kissed who?"

Vivi flushed again. "S-Sanji-kun kissed Zoro-san..."

Her grin widened. "Perfect." The gears in her mind started turning, eking out a steady stream of ideas and possibilities. "Perfect," she repeated.

"Is... is that so?" Vivi looked simultaneously relieved and scared. Carue quacked nervously.

"Indeed," Nami said, "it is perfect." She put her fingertips together delicately in front of her face. "Just out of curiosity... where is my blond bestie now?"

oOo

Despite her thorough searching, Nami could not find Sanji anywhere. When she had run into the others she considered recruiting their help, but after Vivi had explained _exactly_ what had happened, she decided against it. Instead, she told them not to look for Sanji and, if they did happen to see him before she'd gotten her hands on his elusive yellow head, to run and get her and do not, under any circumstances, interact with him at all. She had not seen Zoro yet to tell him that, but through Vivi's recounting of the incident, Nami deduced that she would not have to worry about him flagging Sanji down.

The hour was approaching super-freaking-late; the doors were closed and more than half the lights in the building were out. The volunteers that hadn't gone home for the night fled in droves to the barracks and the night staff gave Nami stern looks and tried to direct her to her room, but they were easy to evade. Besides, if it got to be too late before she found Sanji, she would just go to bed and resume her search in the light of morning. Either way, she would get to be in control of the situation and she would get to the bottom of what she'd hoped for since forever; Sanji and Zoro's relationship.

Nami paused in a doorway. Her priorities had become very mixed with this new drama, she realized with no inflection whatsoever. Just a few hours ago, she had everything straight. She had known what she was going to do and her mind had been completely made up, and then she had returned home. Her friends had derailed her life plans and she hadn't even noticed until then. Two of her friends getting together was not, in fact, what she'd been hoping for forever. She had real actual goals that were much more important than being the catalyst of a match made in heaven.

Previous mission forgotten, Nami shoved her hands in her pockets, turned on her heel and headed to the stairs. It was late enough, she decided; she wasn't really giving up. She just had things to do in the morning that did not involve friend-drama. Which was true. Nami had a lot to think about and her plate was too full of real problems to allow for silly time-wasting orphanage hoopla. So, she would just see Sanji when the universe deined it was time and until then she would handle her own problems above all else.

That did not make her happy. Since one of her main objectives on the daily was to make herself happy, she was fairly agitated and she felt slightly out of place. Nami could just picture the empty cavern of what was formerly her soul, echoing with the words "I just have to do this one last thing." That had been her motivational chant for years and she was done believing it, but she could not stop hearing it. Her unwillingness didn't exactly work for accomplishing her goals. However, all she could do was pretend.

Nami oozed through the halls to her room and walked straight into the door. Vivi was probably dead asleep, so she wouldn't care that it sounded like a bowling ball had been thrown at the wall. Their neighbors may not appreciate her late-night head-banging, but they could suck it up. She couldn't care less what they thought; her problems were at least a million times more important than her neighbors' sleep.

After a few more head-thunks, Nami opened the door to her pitch-dark room. She could hear little congested-beak snorts from the bottom bunk, which Vivi found adorable, but Nami just wanted to kick a bedpost to make the sound stop. She did do that, actually, but it didn't work. It never did.

Nami flailed until her dress came off and wriggled into a pajama top that was twelve sizes too big for her. She flung her shoes against the wall and stepped on the toe of each sock to pull them off without bending. She hoisted herself up on Vivi's bed and then threw her leg over the edge of the top bunk and just rolled herself up. The covers weren't in the kind of disarray she preferred, which was odd, but she'd make it right in no time. All she had to do was yank it up over her shoulder and kick up the bottom part so her legs could stick out and-

"Ow..."

The word was a whisper, but it may as well have been screamed. Nami gasped louder than the actual word and sat up so fast her head hit the ceiling. "Guh- Damn it!" she hissed, wrapping her arms around what she was sure must be a concussion. "Who the _hell_ is up here and how much agony do you want to be in?!"

She was backed up against the guard rail by this point, so she could not have avoided it when a hand was placed on her arm. "It's just me, Nami-san. I'm sorry, I must have fallen asleep..." Sanji's voice was a lot calmer and quieter than she thought it should have been since he'd nearly given her a heart attack and normally that would make her want to strangle him, but the fact that it was _Sanji _appeased her somewhat.

In the darkness, she could just make out the faint glow of yellow hair against her pillowcase. "_What_," she asked, very patiently, she thought, "are you doing here?"

"Sorry... I didn't know where else to go..." Sanji extended his arm over Nami's waist and scooted closer to her, performing an awkward hug. Nami settled in a little, returning his awkward hug, but her muscles wouldn't fully relax. Not even when she moved towards Sanji and he snuggled his soft head in under her chin. "I didn't mean to scare you..."

Nami huffed, rubbing her chin against the top of his head. "Pssh, I'm not scared. Now tell me why you're here," she demanded, taking deep breaths. In the back of her mind, she faintly thought something to the effect of "the universe has spoken," but she would save the cheekiness for later.

The blond made a tiny sound like a whimper, which Nami felt in her chest, and huddled closer to her. "I don't know what to do, Nami-san. I really messed up..."

She was about to begin her little scheme, beating around the bush to get Sanji to tell her everything that happened in great detail, but then she felt Sanji start to shake. It was slight, at first, something that may have been her imagination or a shiver, but after a few seconds, it became tremors and, no, that wasn't her imagination, and he wasn't shivering.

Nami finagled her arms tighter around Sanji. She didn't know what was wrong with her that she hadn't started comforting him until just then-that she hadn't thought of how Sanji might feel after all the circumstances that led to his unexpected smooch-but she was appaled at herself and all she could think to do to make up for it was snuggle her friend.

"It's okay, Sanji-kun," she muttered. She tried thinking about what she would do in his situation, how it could possibly be okay, but she couldn't think of anything realistic. She really did not know how the situation could be resolved. But she would figure it out for Sanji.

"I just don't know what to do..."

oOo

He was literally beating his head against a wall. _Literally_. At least, that was what he had been doing for an hour or more before he switched to angrily wandering the orphanage until it was time for bed, according to the staff. He didn't really listen to them because he had his own shit to deal with, but he knew that they changed his room number when he wasn't there and consequently it took a long time to get back. Thus, if he wanted to get back in time to actually sleep at all-if such a miracle could happen in his current state of mind-he had to get started right away.

And yet, when he found himself in his room hours later, Luffy asleep and snoring like a chainsaw on the top bunk, it seemed like it hadn't been nearly long enough. He had hoped for the time to think, but it had come and gone before he could get past the fact that Sanji had kissed him _on the lips_. And he had just _stood there_.

With a groan, Zoro turned and dove into his bed face-first. It was more than a little bit irksome that he was less annoyed by the fact that Sanji had _kissed_ him than his own reaction to it. Because, really, it was disgusting and he should have punched Sanji right there, right in the moment, but now that it would no longer be appropriate it seemed a ridiculously all-around, any-time, innappropriate action. He couldn't punch Sanji for _that_. He could have punched him for that smugness immediately following his confusing move, but it had been too long now and Zoro could barely remember it. All he knew was that he hadn't reacted correctly and that he wanted a do-over.

Zoro's lips still tingled where Sanji had touched him, no matter how much he tried to smudge the feeling away. He buried his face in the coolness of his pillow and that worked for a brief, enjoyable second, before he could feel it again, the ghost of soft, warm lips on his. And, by God, they had been soft. It annoyed the hell out of him how nice everything would have been if it hadn't been him and Sanji and a stupid argument. Maybe he would have enjoyed his first kiss a little more, instead of aggressively obsessing over it for all the wrong reasons. _He better regret it as much as I do, or I swear..._

He paused in his internal griping upon the swift and terrible realization that he would be _unhappy_ if Sanji regretted their kiss. He didn't know why he felt that way, or how he could possibly hope for that after all the time he'd lost being thoroughly upset by it, he just knew that if Sanji was unhappy with his decision to kiss Zoro, if it was a bad idea to all parties involved, then he would be distressed. Worse yet, if Sanji had just been messing with him he would probably fall headlong into a self-pity funk. He could not pin down the reason, but he knew that he was spot-on in knowing what his reactions would be to either situation.

_Why does it even matter, though?_ Zoro asked himself, growling frustratedly into his flat pillow. _I should have just hit him and gotten it all out of the way..._

But he couldn't have done that. He knew it inside and out that he couldn't have hit Sanji, even if he wanted to. Not after all that kid had been through and all they, as friends, had been through. It was impossible to get anywhere in that thought process, but all he could think was that he would never hit Sanji and he wished that everything would go back to how it was before that kiss. His life had been so simple before.

Zoro turned his head to the side, feeling still the effects of Sanji's weird pacifying technique. He had never been so aware of his own lips before in his life, but now it was all his mind could consistently think of. Zoro sighed and attempted a glare at the wall, but it didn't work. His face felt too empty without the source of the phantom tingle to make any expression at all. It was then that he knew: he was in too deep.

**P.S. the chapter title (F.U.B.A.R.) means "fucked up beyond all recognition." ;P**


	52. Gaining Momentum

**Hello everyone and I apologize for my long absence, but here I've got a new chapter for you. We're getting into the action a bit, FINALLY, but next chapter will be the pinnacle of this "arc." ;) I'm hoping to get back to the emotional stuff pretty damn soon because I have a few things that will need to resurface in as much time... *grins***

"Hold it still, okay? I don't feel like getting a concussion today," Sanji whispered hoarsely, bracing himself with one hand on the wall while Usopp got a better grip on the ladder. All the kids in his class sat stiff and silent, watching him set the first of many traps for their teacher. He had been concerned, at first, having to set it up while everyone was there to witness it, but they had all, after a wave of murmurs, agreed to keep quiet. Krieg was running a little behind, due to somebody mysterious and obviously completely unknown, barracading his door with the janitors cart and a stolen bicycle, so they had to seize the opportunity. It wasn't the best thing they'd ever come up with, but it was fast and effective and there was so much more to be done.

"Just hurry up," Usopp hissed back, holding the four-foot ladder so tightly his knuckles were white. "You may not want a concussion, but I don't want to die, okay, and your teacher scares me, so just-" The long-nosed boy gestured vaguely at what Sanji was doing and the ladder wobbled dramatically.

"Good god," Sanji said with a gulp, clinging to the wall like a lifeline. "Hold the damn ladder! I would be done already if I didn't have to worry about you knocking me down!"

Usopp clasped the ladder again, rolling his eyes. "Fine, okay, now hurry!"

The trap was foolproof, really. It wasn't creative, but it was smart, in Sanji's own opinion. Krieg was the tallest person in the whole school, thus, nobody else would even realize their trap, let alone be hurt by it. It was a curtain rod which, strangely enough, resembled one from the library in the orphanage, but that was just a coincidence. There were loads of metal curtain rods, it couldn't be said for sure that they were the same. In any case, it seemed to him the most painful thing to run into that they could put in the door quickly, so that's what they got. And Krieg was _always_ walking fast. There would be no escaping it unscathed. That made Sanji chuckle to himself a little, sadistic as it was.

"Done! Let's put the ladder back, and then you can get back to your own class, okay?" Sanji hopped down and they made quick work of stashing the step-ladder in the nearest janitorial closet with the excited muttering of Sanji's classmates as background noise. Usopp bid the blond good luck and fled as fast as his skinny legs could carry him to his own class while Sanji retreated into Krieg's classroom and shut the door behind himself so the curtain rod could not be seen.

"Oh god," one of the girls in the class whimpered, clutching her stomach and sinking lower in her chair, as if trying to disappear.

Sanji eyed her sideways. "It's gonna be fine," he said, a little annoyed, but smiling nonetheless, "just don't say anything. No matter what, don't say anything. Understand?"

Several of the kids around him nodded and they all settled in for the show. It was admittedly a little scary, but the roiling in his gut, like a flurry of angry butterflies, set an excited tingle flowing through him. He loved doing this; gaining justice in a roundabout, possibly illegal way. It was so breathtakingly dangerous, so electrifying, he could barely sit still. But he had to. For the plan to work, he had to be the least suspicious person he could possibly be.

Heavy footsteps echoed down the hall, coming closer until they were a thunder rather than an echo. They paused outside the door and every student held their breath. Something obscene was growled about the door being shut before it was wrenched in and the gorilla man himself stood in the doorway, looming with an ugly scowl as usual. Somebody made a very high squeak and his eyes darted in their general direction, hatred coming across loud and clear. Krieg took a deep, angry breath and started to say something, taking a very brisk step at the same time, and a sound like a frying pan hitting marble tiles (which was not exactly it, but that was all Sanji could think of to try and classify the noise) broke the silence of the room and dared them all to breathe.

Veins jumped out on Krieg's suddenly red forehead and a few of Sanji's classmates covered their mouths, whether to hold in laughter or screams, he did not know. He himself was feeling a little sick, but mostly proud. The sound, which had been alarmingly loud at the time, was bringing him eccentric joy in the form of quiet little almost-giggles. He would have been scared of being heard if Krieg wasn't breathing so hard it was creating a breeze.

The gorilla man looked up with his eternally enraged glare and his hands balled into fists upon seeing the curtain rod. In one swift movement, Krieg seized the curtain rod with one hand and yanked so hard his feet lifted off the ground for a fleeting moment before the doorframe broke, giving in to his brutal strength. Krieg brandished the curtain rod at the class, livid. "Who the _fuck_ did this, huh?! I know it was one of you pieces of shit!" Without further warning, Krieg hucked the rod at the class and Sanji wondered idly how none of them saw it coming the second before the shit hit the fan.

oOo

Waiting gave her anxiety. She was never patient, not ever, but when it was a situation like this, when they were causing trouble and she couldn't be there to watch it unfold, it was particularly bad. And with her bestie in the thick of it? There was no way she could focus. She couldn't even stop bouncing her knee and fiddling with her hair.

Usopp had gotten to class at almost the exact time he was supposed to that morning, so she should have been feeling confident that everything was going according to plan. However, she wasn't sure about it. Nami just had this feeling like things were not going to go smoothly. It was unlucky to even think that way, but she couldn't help it; she was worried about Sanji.

As soon as class was over, she booked-it to Sanji's locker with Luffy and Usopp in tow. Vivi joined them a short moment later and Nami took a few of the following seconds of chatter all around them to lament Zoro's absence. He could be a baby on his own time; Sanji needed them now. But she would get Zoro to fall in line the next time she saw him. Priority at the moment was finding out how things went in phase one and initiating phase two.

"...coolest thing I've ever seen! You are in _so_ much trouble, but _whoa_. You should be proud! Why aren't you celebrating? Making people bow down to you? That was _awesome_!"

"I feel sick..."

Sanji came into view through a crowd of kids, looking pale as a ghost, but smirking vaguely as he stared off into space. A dark-haired, dark-skinned boy hung very close to him, chattering on about how cool the blond was and how much respect he had earned. When Sanji's eyes came back into focus, they landed on Nami and he immediately gravitated to her.

"Come here," Nami beckoned, pulling her poor baby into a hug.

"Hey Sanji! Did you kick ass?" Luffy asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

Vivi patted Sanji on the back soothingly. "There, there," she cooed.

"You look terrible!" Usopp exclaimed, flinching at the look Nami gave him. "I-I mean. Did it not go well?"

The blond shook his head, chin resting lightly on Nami's shoulder. When he took a step back, closer to his dark friend (who had shut up wuick when they had merged with everyone else), he sighed. The rest of the group that had been hovering around Sanji dispersed almost merrily, but Sanji himself did not reflect their cheery attitudes. "No," he said after a moment, "it went okay."

"Are you kidding me?" Sanji's shady-looking friend piped up loudly, flushing immediately afterwards when they all looked at him. "Uh... H-he was great. I've never seen anybody that, um... brave." Nami narrowed her eyes at him.

"Brave is not the word for that," Sanji interjected, rubbing his temples prodigiously. "I'd go with stupid."

"O-oh, well..." the dark, suspicious boy muttered, fading somewhat into the background.

"What happeeeeened?" Luffy whined, grabbing Sanji's arm and pulling on it as if to yank the story out of him. Usopp and Vivi chastised him for being too rough, but Sanji himself didn't pay that much attention to him.

The blond boy, though he still looked like he might lock himself in the bathroom or something, smiled vaguely and gave a dry laugh. "It was... definitely interesting," he mused, sounding a bit more like his normal self. "I hadn't considered he would retaliate right away."

Everyone became intensely stiff and serious at Sanji's comment and Nami had no idea what he was going to follow up with, but if it wasn't a damn good explanation she was going to deck him.

"Did he kill someone?!" Usopp shrieked right away and passers-by gave him a wide-variety of looks.

Sanji laughed again, shocked more than anything, and put up a hand, palm-out. "Slow down there, friend. No one's dead," he said with amusement. "I don't even think anybody's hurt. I'm just still in shock or whatever. It was over really quickly."

"Not for us!" Sanji's friend commented, earning himself one of Nami's famous glares. He became very meek, very fast. A faint memory of Sanji telling her about his new friend Gin flashed through her mind, but she could not care less. She did not like that kid, no matter who he was.

"Make like a banana," Nami sneered at him, gesturing vaguely to an adjacent hallway. From what she had heard of him, the kid was not deserving of her kindness. With a mumbled goodbye to Sanji, Gin wandered off quickly.

Sanji's expression was not exactly approving, but Nami silently dared him to argue with her. The blond shook his head minutely and launched into his tale with no more than an indignant eyebrow raise. According to Sanji, Krieg had thrown their clothesline (which was just what they were calling it based on desired effect; it was a big metal pole) into the class with the questionable intention of hitting children with it. And, he added hastily, he had not actually succeeded. The large, rage-controlled man who threw things at the class on a regular basis had launched the rod into the classroom and Sanji had _kicked it down_.

"Did you really do that?" the others asked in awe and, okay, maybe Nami had thought about asking it too, but primarily she was trying to calculate how their other plans would go with this interesting new development. She knew he had it in him. Now all she had to do was figure a way to resolve their teacher issue before Sanji got expelled or something.

"Did you hit him with it?!" Luffy asked excitedly, his voice filling the nearly empty hallway. Usopp and Vivi were taken aback at his elation, but Sanji laughed, becoming more himself by the second.

"No," the blond said, patting Luffy's shoulder consolingly, "it just hit the floor really loudly. Everyone jumped, one girl screamed. I got detention for _not_ getting hit by it."

"Whoa, did he say that? That's messed up," Usopp commented, the calmest thing he'd said all day.

Nami put her hand up, using the other hand to hold her pulsing brain steady. "Wait- You've got detention with that guy?" she asked, watching their plans fall to dust behind her eyes.

"That cannot be good," Vivi stated helpfully, her arms cradling a duck that wasn't there.

Sanji sighed and nodded solemnly. "And that's where we get to 'I feel ill.'"

"What does that mean?" Luffy asked, head tilted to the side. The hallway was completely empty by that point, the silence emphasizing Luffy's question. "Is your plan not working?"

With a thoughtful hum, Sanji bit his bottom lip. "Not necessarily. I mean, it could be-" He cut himself off with a vaguely panicked gesture. "That is to say, er, I think we can handle this. It may even present new opportunities!" The blond seemed almost back to normal, eyes shining brightly with an undoubtedly large number of devious ideas.

From somewhere down the hall, somebody called for attention before anyone in their little group could ask what Sanji was thinking and the children took that as their cue to part ways. A significant look was shared among the group, including the suddenly focused Luffy, and then they cleared out, allowing the second leg of their plan to begin.

oOo

"This is the worst thing ever," Vivi repeated for the tenth time in as many minutes. "I feel like a terrible person!"

From under the desk, Nami glared at her. "You _are_ a terrible person, now keep wrapping! I'm the one doing the hard stuff, anyway," the redhead grumbled, gluing the next-to-last item carefully. Aside from Vivi's whining, everything was going well and she didn't intend to change that now.

Nami grabbed the last of the paperwork and hot-glued it to the rest of the important-looking junk from Krieg's desk that had all been stuck (very thoroughly) in the garbage bin. She then glued a stolen tray from the orphanage cafeteria to the top of the bin, suppressing evil chuckles all the while. It was some pretty decent work if she did say so herself. Perhaps not the best idea she'd ever had, but definitely a classic.

She tossed the hot glue gun aside, out of glue and really not giving a hoot. Everything they had done was with "borrowed" property, so she didn't have to worry about it. Besides, who would really care if his classroom caught fire or something? Not them, that was for damn sure.

"I'm done," Nami announced, crawling out from under the desk. "You?"

Vivi sighed, pausing in her covering of the chair cushion with bubble wrap. "Almost... I've got the drawers done, and the floor there." She gestured vaguely to the doorway, where she had taped some more bubble wrap to the tile. "This is really mean, Nami-san. Couldn't we just-"

"We've been over this already," Nami cut her off, giving Vivi a stern disapproving frown. "We could get him fired by just telling someone that he throws heavy objects at his students. _Could_. But that wouldn't be revenge. Not really. So we're doing this. Do you have a problem with that?"

The blue-haired girl looked down at her feet, then back up timidly. "No, I- I do understand, I'm just not... not like you. This is difficult," she said carefully, apologetic, and Nami let the wistful sadness in her voice pass by without acknowledging it.

"You can do this," Nami said motivationally, grinning hopefully wide enough to give Vivi confidence. "Just think of the result."

oOo

Tracking his friends down was proving to be difficult. He was not sure what time it was or why no one else was around, but Luffy was convinced that if he just kept walking around he'd find them eventually. Things always worked out the way they were supposed to, in any case.

Luffy tried to whistle with no success as he peered into room after room down a hall that never seemed to end. He was just getting the hang of it when someone shouted, loud and angry, some curse word or other. A door was slammed open a few rooms down from Luffy with a harsh, creaky bang like the hinges might break, and the gorilla man that hurt Sanji came barrelling out, raging and cussing and spitting. Luffy stopped walking.

Instantly, the gorilla man's eyes found him. "You!" he roared, his face contorting in the ugliest expression Luffy had ever seen. There was accusation in his tone, his posture, his eyes and, well, the large finger he was brandishing at Luffy.

The raven-haired boy didn't have to peer into the room he'd come out of to know that the girls had accomplished their part. It was unfair that they got ther turn before he did, but he was still proud of them. He beamed at his friends, thought they weren't there, and lazily turned his grin on the man named Krieg. "Yup," he chirped, confirming that, indeed, he was present. "And you!" he added, in case the dense-looking man was confused.

With a roar that made Luffy jump, the gorilla man charged at him and Luffy hesitated just long enough to let out an alarmed little squeak before bolting right through Krieg's grappling arms. He turned to watch the man stumble, waved briefly, and then Luffy began to walk away.

Angry words bled into each other in Krieg's speech and he charged again. Luffy got the distinct impression that he wasn't going to get to just walk off. That didn't seem good for him. Remembering again what that man had done to Sanji and any number of his classmates had Luffy almost wanting to kick Krieg's ass all by himself. Which he felt like he could do, in his state, but Sanji wanted to deal the final blow and Luffy knew that. So, he changed his course of action.

"Hey," Luffy called, serious but grinning as he evaded the insane teacher again. "We're gonna bring you down, Mister Gorilla!"

Krieg threw his head back and laughed harshly, allowing Luffy the opportunity he needed to get away. "I'd like to see you try, stupid brat!" the gorilla man barked after him. "You and that blond thorn in my side will be expelled by the end of the day!"

He was not scared. He would never be afraid of such a ridiculous threat. School was boring; there was no way it could even remotely be a threat to be kicked out, especially when they were doing things that would get them expelled anyway. Luffy was sure the others would agree with his reasoning. He could only hope that they would get the hint that, with no restrictions on what they could do, he should have the next turn. Pouting resolutely, Luffy clopped loudly down the halls in search of his friends.

oOo

Furiously paced discussions were had between classes and during lunch, conflicting opinions exchanged within the group. The majority were against the plan but, in Sanji's opinion, the majority didn't get a say. Especially not after Luffy told them all about his little accidental encounter with the psychotic beast that was Sanji's teacher. That man was too violent and too crazy _not_ to go through with the last leg of the plan. Perhaps they could have him commited to a life-sentence of mental treatment. That sounded like fun.

Sanji and Luffy managed to get away from their disapproving friends at the end of the regular school day by taking a long, roundabout path to Krieg's classroom. Despite both their standing detention orders, the rest of the group saw fit to try and keep the two of them from it, as if they didn't think the plan would work. The boys themselves, however, were almost fifty-five percent sure it would work. That was more than half, they had argued, but for some reason Vivi, Usopp and Nami found that invalid. Ridiculous, really.

Standing outside of Krieg's classroom, the boys exchanged a grinning glance, even though Sanji was beyond nervous and Luffy's "reassurance" was not exactly reassuring. Luffy opened the door with a stupid amount of confidence and they strode into the room as a unit, only a tiny bit of hesitation present as they chose their seats (back row, of course). So far, so good, Sanji thought, perhaps unluckily.

Four other students were there, the blond noted, three of whom he recognized from passing encounters. The fourth, however, was quite a surprise. Sitting in the front left corner of the classroom, slouching and leaning until he was almot eye-level with the desk and his head almost touched the wall, was Gin.

He remembered a flurry of rumors he'd heard bits and pieces of, things about Gin and how he was a bad kid and Sanji shouldn't trust him, but he had never seen any evidence to support them. Until, of course, there he was.

"Gin," Sanji whispered, despite the fact that Krieg wasn't in the room yet. The boy he was addressing did not appear to have heard him. "Hey, Gin. Whay are you here?" he tried again.

One of the other kids, a boy with a lisp, leaned over and muttered to Sanji, "He's ignoring you. He ignores everyone." The boy nodded to indicate Gin and pursed his lips. "That kid is always here; believe you me, it's better if he ignores you."

"Ne." Gin inclined his head slightly, turning his ear towards them. "Did you two do this, Sanji-san?" he asked, just almost looking at them.

Silence fell for a few beats, each one longer than the last. Before Sanji could even think of an answer, Luffy clapped him hard on the shoulder and, when faced with Sanji's confused stare, produced a face-splitting grin. "Yep," he said with a nod, eyes never leaving Sanji's. "It was us."

The room as a collective looked to the desk where piles upon piles of bubblewrap were wadded into one large, unruly ball on top of a broken waste-basket and what appeared to be the full contents of the desk drawers strewn everywhere. Dried glue was scattered every which way in little translucent kernels, all across the floor and chair and desk, massive amounts still caked up in the broken trashcan. Frankly, Sanji was surprised the girls weren't covered head-to-toe in glue, let alone completely without a trace of it on them. He was definitely impressed.

But then he realized what Luffy was saying and he shrunk in his seat. "Hey," Sanji whispered as quietly as he could, glancing at the others in the room before leveling Luffy with a deadly serious stare. "Nami is going to be _pissed_ if she finds out you took credit for this."

"I didn't," Luffy responded easily, "_we_ did." His grin did not bode well for Sanji or anyone who might be around when Nami got her claws into them.

At the front of the class, Gin made a weird wheezy grunt noise. It sounded almost pained.

Apropos of nothing, the door slammed open, startling the crap out of everyone in the room. Krieg stormed in, his boots clomping like high-heels against the glue-covered tile and his fists clenched tightly at his sides. When he got to the desk, he spared a fiery look toward the bubblewrap and ruined waste-basket, then whirled abruptly on the sparse classroom, rage boiling in his eyes.

"You three!" Krieg barked, indicating the kids that Sanji did not know with an index finger. His knuckles glinted in the afternoon light filtering through the windows, drawing Sanji's attention to the metal adorning them. "Get out! Keep your mouths shut and you get a passing grade!"

One kid, the only girl there, had the nerve to raise her hand. "I'm not in your class-"

"I don't give a shit!" Krieg slammed a fist down on the desk so hard it shook the blackboard and rattled the windows. "Get out now or you'll have detention with me again tomorrow!" The words themselves may not have been much, but the way he said them they were a significant threat.

Three chairs simultaneously scraped the floor with an ear-piercing squeal as they were hastily pushed back and the anonymous students left without a backward glance. The silence that fell upon the room as their quick footsteps retreated down the hall was defeaning.

When they could no longer hear anything outside the classroom, Don Krieg's ugly face broke into an uglier grin. He flexed his fingers, drawing yet more unnerved attention to his brass knuckles. "Gin," he began roughly, glancing sideways at the child who didn't even flinch. "You remember your lines?"

"They were picking on me," Gin wailed dramatically and strikingly convincing. "They always pick on me! The were kicking me and pushing me and- and Krieg-san was only trying to help me! They fell when he pulled them away but it- it was an accident! Krieg-san is a good man!" At the end of his little story, Gin turned just enough to see Sanji out of the corner of his eye, a faint smirk on his thin lips despite how ill he looked.

"There," Krieg sneered, cracking his knuckles loudly, rolling his shoulders back. "Now who started it?"

**I missed Zoro this episode, how about you?! It's going to be difficult, but next chapter I'll beat the shit out of Krieg. In the mean time, I'mma go lift some weights and you can review. If you feel like it. Which you totally do, right? I mean. Yeah. (Right? :D)**


	53. Coming Together

**Sorry everyone, I know I'm an asshole. There has been a lot of drama and recent days have not been good, so I'll just cut to the chase. Not much editing has happened, chapter is pretty long, I like most of it. Next chapter will be better, hopefully faster... Idk, not much hope. xDDx Enjoy.**

He wasn't trying to eavesdrop, especially on his friends, but when he was passing them in the hall at the orphanage just after they got back from school it was merely by accident that he heard about that stupid blond's stupid plan. They didn't see him, not that he could tell, and that was good because he wasn't done being angry yet. He didn't want anyone to see him, as worried as he felt, because he knew they'd rub his face in it later. But they didn't matter right now. He _had_ to get to the school.

Zoro felt only a tiny bit stupid for not being at school earlier, but mostly he was angry. How could they do something so dangerous without telling him? Sure, he'd been avoiding the group as a whole for the past couple of days, but they still should have let him in on their suicide mission. He could have talked them out of it. He could have _helped_.

But for some stupid reason, they'd decided to go through with that freaking plan, probably at Sanji's insistence. It was downright retarded and Zoro may not have been the smartest kid on the face of the earth but he knew there was no chance everyone would come out unscathed. If he had any money to his name, he'd bet it all that Sanji would be hurt the worst. That was his gut feeling and he didn't like it at all.

The green-haired boy skidded around a corner, used the wall to help turn and catapulted himself into the stairwell. He had been unable to find the elevator, but that was okay since he didn't think he could stand still for any amount of time. He couldn't get out of there fast enough.

When he got to the lobby-well, he'd barely noticed it, but it registered somehow-Makino intercepted him. She may have just been standing there innocently, he didn't really know, it just felt like she was trying to stop him from getting where he needed to go.

"Oh my. Well, I'm afraid we've run out of options, sir," Makino said, up and out of Zoro's line of concern. Then, as he was trying to pass her, she inserted herself in his way once more by grabbing him by the shoulders. He was a narrow few inches shorter than her, so when he angrily turned his head to glare at her, they were just about eye-to-eye and he could see that it was not the time to be huffy, but he didn't stop glaring.

Someone cleared their throat and brought Zoro out of his angry trance. He really hoped Makino wasn't trying to set up an interview because he didn't have the patience to put on a good face for her right then. He'd have to be rude in front of her and then the others would be upset at him later, if they had time for that kind of thing, and he'd be forced to apologize or some shi-

"Roronoa-kun, _Mister_ Dracule would like to speak to you for a few minutes." Makino squeezed his shoulders and seemed to pull him back a little rather than urge him towards the man that Zoro had barely noticed until she'd said something.

The man was wearing a black suit with a plum-colored shirt and a jacket that was so long it was annoying. His eyebrows looked like they were going to fly away and Zoro didn't blame them. The man had sharp yellow eyes that seemed to see everything about him and disapproved of it all.

"I have to go," Zoro said, after considering "_Mister_ Dracule" for a long time.

Makin shifted behind Zoro and squeezed his shoulders again, while the man just narrowed his eyes. "You don't have to talk to him, Zoro," she whispered, bringing one hand up to smooth out Zoro's hair. "But, I think you should."

There were very few people whose opinions he cared about and, he was sometimes sorry to say, Makino was not one of them. But when he looked the man straight in the face, held his intense stare for longer than he thought he'd ever looked into anyone else's eyes, he felt what she was saying and he kind of understood. Something, and for the life of him he didn't know what, told him he had to talk to that guy.

"Okay," he said slowly, and the man raised one sharp eyebrow. That was the blandest gesture that Zoro had ever seen in his life, but he thought it might have been shock. "Five minutes and I'm out of here."

As Makino led them away to a peculiarly secluded interview room, she looked down at Zoro and patted his hair again dotingly. "Thank you," she mouthed, winking at him. "Just be patient." At least, that's what he thought she was saying when she was making exaggerated faces while not actually talking. And then she dropped them off in an interview room with a door and a weighty silence. She lingered in the doorway doe a few seconds to make it as weird as possible before she finally left them to their awkward "interview."

Which stayed silent for a very long, very _painful_ time. Zoro couldn't remember if he'd heard the man talk yet, so in the eternity since they sat down it was easy for him to be discouraged in his hope that the man would say something that would piss Zoro off so he could storm out. Maybe he wouldn't have done all that, but the silence was really getting to him. And he couldn't break it himself either. No. If that Dracule guy wanted to talk to him so bad, he would do it or Zoro would just wait out fiev minutes and be none the worse for wear. Yeah. He could do this.

Nope, it was too much. It must have been at least twenty minutes already. He tried not to fidget, to stare straight at the man without blinking and win this bizarrely awkward staring contest. He really wanted to win, but his eyes were dry and hadn't it been like an hour already? He really needed to go and help his friends; to save the day. Didn't this guy get that?

Just as Zoro was formulating an excuse that would get him out of the room-something along the lines of explosive diarrhea-the man sat up a little straighter. "Roronoa Zoro," the man rumbled slowly, his deep tone questioning like he was testing the name. Zoro nodded and the man straightened again. He supposed he passed the test.

And so began another leg of the disturbing staring contest. Zoro wondered if he would ever get to leave.

oOo

"Sanji," Luffy whispered, gripping his arm.

"I know," the blond grunted out through clenched teeth.

"This wasn't part of the plan, Sanji," Luffy told him as if he didn't already know.

"I _know_, Luffy," Sanji hissed, turning his back on their enemies against his better judgement. "I know."

Luffy glanced past him, then refocused on Sanji. "We don't have a lot of time. Do you still want to go through with it?" Luffy asked quietly, inclining his head. He was giving Sanji an out in a situation that wouldn't actually allow it as far as Sanji could tell. He was a good kid, even under bad circumstances. Sanji had about half a second to appreciate that before they really needed to act.

"Yes," he said quickly, making a gesture that he himself didn't fully understand and Luffy winked at him with a grin. The very next second, they both began screaming at the tops of their lungs.

Krieg and Gin drew up short. This was the most whimsical part of their plan and it showed in the reactions of their enemies. The shock wouldn't last for long, they'd already figured that out, they just hoped they could be done with most of their plan before it did.

"Oh my god!" Sanji shouted, barely holding in a bout of insane laughter. "Ow! Mister _Don Krieg_, you're a teacher, you can't _hit_ students!"

Luffy, who was still screaming so loudly that Sanji couldn't hear Krieg and Gin's reactions, raised his eyebrows at Sanji. He was asking if it was time, offering the opportunity, and Sanji had butterflies fluttering up a storm in his stomach, but he flashed Luffy a grin anyway. And then it was time for the tricky part of their plan: making it look like Krieg was hurting them without actually getting hurt.

The blond glanced around, weighed his options, considered the outcomes. After a second, he picked up a chair-it was heavier than he thought it was, but maybe that was a good thing-and threw it as hard as he could at the wall.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" he heard Gin shriek, amazingly enough, flinching in the corner of Sanji's vision even though he wasn't even close to the line of danger.

Sanji didn't even glance at him as he picked up another chair and threw it at the window. It didn't quite make it, but there was a hell of a clatter when his projectile skidded off the top of a desk and knocked over two other chairs.

"Me next!" Luffy panted, patting Sanji on the back with the biggest damn grin on his face. Just like they'd agreed, Sanji began screaming no more than a second after Luffy stopped.

Krieg made a move towards them, saying something that Sanji couldn't hear but it looked ugly. Luffy jumped away from Sanji, waved his arms around to get Krieg's attention and it worked like a dream. Krieg barreled like an angry rhinoceros towards Luffy with a roar, and Sanji couldn't watch.

oOo

"Have you been well?"

It was the first thing he'd said since questioning Zoro's name and Zoro had no idea how to respond. He didn't know if he'd been well or not, or what time period he was supposed to get the answer from. It had been a while since he considered himself consistently _well_. He tended to think that question was only answerable if you've met the person asking before, but he was almost sure he'd never met anyone with a name like Dracule.

Unable to make a decision, Zoro just shrugged. The man with the eyebrows like severe birds didn't appear to like his answer.

The silence plug on, maybe more tense than before, but otherwise no change. It was a huge waste of his time, but after however long he'd been sitting there, even though he was itching to leave, he needed to know why some stranger with weird facial hair didn't just randomly drop in to ask how he was, Zoro knew that damn much.

sorrow knew he should wait for that man to reveal the actual reason he was there, but he had no idea how long he been sitting there and his knee was starting to bounce all by itself. "So," Zoro began gruffly, never breaking eye contact, "can I go now?"

He didn't really mean it as a question. The more he thought about Luffy and Sanji's plan, the less patient he got. He hoped that he could draw out the answer he wanted by threatening to leave, although it was more of a promise. Zoro didn't know what kind of man he was dealing with, but he felt like this would work.

Dracule's peculiar eyebrows shifted subtly and he leaned forward on his elbows with his fingers loosely entwined in front of him. "Where, may I ask, are you headed to in such a hurry?" the man questioned and he sounded like he really wanted to know. Zoro wasn't inclined to tell him anything, not really, but a part of him wanted to know what those bizarre eyebrows would do if he told the man what was going on.

"My friends are in detention with a lunatic who's trying to kill them and their stupid plan is to provoke him so I need to go save them?" Zoro offered like he was suggesting it. He sounded more questioning than he would like, but his words still made Dracule's sharp eyebrows rise.

The man had questions written all over his face for just a few seconds, before he went back to unreadable stoicism. He leaned back in his chair and Zoro noticed for the first time a white feather hanging from the man's ear. Just as Zoro was thinking how the man got stranger by the minute, Dracule took a very normal sized breath that seemed somehow out of the ordinary. "Why, then, are you here, Roronoa Zoro?" the man asked, arching one eyebrow. "If your friends are in danger, why don't you help them?"

Zoro blinked. He was annoyed and confused and he had no answer to give, so he just got up and walked out. As he rounded the doorway, he looked back over his shoulder to see hawk-like eyes staring right back at him.

oOo

"Please, Sanji-san, just stop this!" Gin pleaded as he'd been doing for almost as long as they'd been screaming and throwing things in the classroom. They had long-since stopped screaming—that part of the plan had been a bad idea, at least—but after Krieg and Gin caught on to what they were trying to do, they'd had to really _move. _Somehow, even when Don Krieg started throwing thing back at them, Gin apparently thought he could still convince them to give in.

Sanji vaulted over two fallen chairs just as a drawer landed in splinters behind him. In his adrenaline-addled state, Sanji could barely think clearly enough to keep an eye on Luffy, but every now and then he could hear a grunt or a laugh that could be no one else. He hadn't thought of it before, but running around inside one single classroom trying not to get killed was much easier said than done. Sanji had no idea how Krieg was keeping up with both of them, but he could tell that it wasn't the easiest situation for him either.

"We won't hurt you, I swear!" Gin was saying. Sanji saw out of the corner of his eye that Gin flinched at everything that sailed through the air, no matter how far it was from him. "Right, Krieg-san?"

"Oh, sure," the apeman sneered, sounding out of breath and yet still mind-bogglingly loud. "Give up now and I'll only break one of your legs!"

Luffy popped up from under the big desk at the front of the room just in time to have a bulletin board whiz past his head. It didn't seem like he'd noticed when he said, "Wait, my leg or his leg?"

"Ask the tough questions, why don't you," Sanji muttered, maneuvering in a wide arc around Gin to stand by the door. There was a potted plant there that he thought he might be able to throw.

"Both!" the psychotic teacher bellowed, grabbing a globe off the floor—Sanji thought it had been on the main desk, but Krieg was standing in the middle of the room—and chucking it at Sanji. Luffy yelled out, but Sanji had already ducked. It wasn't until he heard a fleshy smack and a thud that Sanji realized the shout wasn't for him.

oOo

"And this hall is mostly to be—ahem—mimimi! Ah, mostly to be avoided. Offices, teachers' lounge, really not much a new student like yourself needs to worry about."

The man had been introduced to her as a new teacher, so she didn't put much stake in his words, but she did have a bad feeling about that hall. Although, it had more to do with the ominous noises coming from the end of the corridor than what was in the rooms.

"You'll be upstairs actually- Ahem! Mamama!" the man—Igaram, if she had heard correctly—began, clearing his throat more than any one person she had ever known. After a moment of smudging his nose with a handkerchief and batting back his giant white-blond curls, he continued; "Much better. Beg pardon. You shall be upstairs for the time being. Your file says you have never been in school before. Curiously, it doesn't say much else, but is that so?"

Before she could answer, a growl like an angry wild dog ripped through the stillness of the nearly empty empty hallway. Her eyes were drawn to a door with one big frosted window at the top, the very last door on the right.

"What in the-?" Igaram was looking at the same door. A moment later, the door shook in its frame. "No animals are allowed on the premises, let alone feral ones...! Ahem—mimimi! Pardon me, young lady, while I take care of this!"

She didn't care to stand alone in the hall, especially if it meant she wouldn't get to see what made that noise, so she followed quietly behind Igaram. Not two seconds passed and there was a loud clatter, followed by a boy's voice shouting.

"What is _wrong_ with you?! He was _loyal_ to you!" a different voice shouted, still a young boy.

Igaram tried the door, but it was locked from the inside. She never considered herself one for drama, but it certainly piqued her interest. There were so many things that could be happening inside that classroom—although peculiar violence was her guess—and every possibility was full of more promise than any of the other islands she'd been to. She could hear in her head her mother telling her not to take joy in such things and came back to herself immediately.

"Ahem! Children! No locking doors and no animals! Classes are over, you and your rabid pet should just go home!" Igaram called, and then cleared his throat and did a scale.

She refrained from shaking her head at him, but just barely. "Perhaps they are having detention?" she suggested, although she herself didn't think that was very likely.

A loud clatter with several different facets (multiple items being knocked over like dominoes, she thought) sounded in response. "Go away! I've got these brats under control!" a harsh man's voice snarled from the other side of the door, and then something hit the door with a crack.

Igaram glanced down at her with the slightest reprimanding look, apparently just noticing her presence. "Who am I speaking to? Ahem- mamama! It does not sound, sir, like you have anything under control. What is going on in there?"

"He's trying to kill us! Please help!" the boy who had spoken before pleaded. She couldn't really tell what was going on, but she did not feel like that was entirely false.

From the look on his face, Igaram was thinking something similar. "I think you all need to open this door so we can have a chat," he reasoned, reaching one hand in his pocket.

"I said it's under control!" the man inside the room shouted. Several smaller voices piped up in the background, but she couldn't hear what they were saying. "Quiet, brats! Just mind your own business!"

"It's Don Krieg, the sub from the high school," a different boy called in a very deliberate tone. "He's crazy! He's not even qualified to teach, he just wants to rob everyone blind!"

Igaram cursed under his breath and lifted his hand from his pocket. He was holding a strange little metal tool in his right hand, and he clutched the door handle with his left. "Don't tell my wife," he muttered plainly with a tight smile. Next second, he'd picked the lock.

It took her a moment to get past her surprise, but Igaram did not suffer the same pause. He ducked through the doorway, his soup-can curls catching on the frame in a way that didn't manage to take away from his menacing aura. "Beg pardon, Krieg-san, but I must borrow you for a moment. Nico Robin-chan, stay behind me, please. Are—ahem! Mimimi!—are you boys alright?"

"For now! Good timing, Ossan!" one of the boys chirped merrily.

Blatantly ignoring his request, Robin stepped forward to get a peek into the room. And, from what she gathered at first glance, a hurricane had done the same not too long ago. Not a single chair stood upright, wall hangings were strewn across the floor, Two desks had been ripped from the floor and were wallowing in the corners of the room, while the big desk had a long scrape right across the top. In amongst it all, three boys (two huddled in the floor on one side of the room, the other standing on a fallen chair behind the main desk) were staring with wide, unafraid eyes at a gorilla of a man who looked like all the veins in his head and neck were prone to burst at any moment. It was a very interesting scene, to say the least.

"Who the hell are you?" The man inside the room looked a little scuffed and winded, with an ugly, bulky suit and short-cropped gray hair. The name Don Krieg, to her, implied a dignity that the hideous, fuming man did not possess. Robin instantly believed the boys' story.

"Who I am does not matter! Rather than that, what in six hells happened in here?!" Igaram scanned the room quickly, then frowned at Krieg. "You had better come with me to explain this to the principal."

Don Krieg narrowed his already tiny eyes and stuck out his chin. "This is none of your damn business! Don't stick your nose in where it doesn't belong!"

The boy who had been standing behind the teacher's desk suddenly leapt up and over, landing almost directly behind Don Krieg. He grinned at Robin and then, unbelievably and yet unmistakably, _punched_ Krieg in the ribs.

Krieg stumbled away from the scrawny boy's fist as the boy bounded almost leisurely off towards the other two. Igaram hadn't gotten more than a single scolding word out of his mouth when the gorilla man roared, long and painfully loud. Don Krieg whipped around, howling words that Robin had never heard strung together before in her life and reared back with both fists as if to crush the boy flat.

"Luffy-!" The blond boy of the trio grabbed the one called Luffy and yanked him out of the way just as Krieg swung his fists down so hard he lost his balance. As Don Krieg was wobbling on the balls of his feet, Igaram clapped a hand on the back of Krieg's neck and somehow pulled him out into the hall in one swift movement.

"Don't fucking touch me, dammit! Those goddamn children are-"

"Exactly," Igaram cut in sharply, over the sound of their footsteps fumbling down the hall. "Children! That's what they are, you scum!" It sounded like they fought all the way down the hall, shouting and scuffling.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Robin turned to look at the trio of boys. The blond and Luffy were grinning, while the other boy looked haunted. "That was great! I mean, sorry you got hurt, Gin, but that was really cool! We did it!" Luffy cheered, clapping both of the other boys on the shoulder at once.

Robin was eternally curious—if she didn't know about something, she would find out quickly—but she knew that this was absolutely none of her business. She could find out later on, when she was properly enrolled, why those three boys were locked in a massacred classroom with a bull of a teacher and happy about it. Really, this school was shaping up to be a very interesting experience.

She turned to leave and try to find a teacher to help her, but she looked over her shoulder one last time, puzzling. The blond boy was staring right back at her. He raised his hand in a tiny greeting. Robin tried not to acknowledge him, but she found herself nodding once. She had set a number of restrictions for herself before coming to that school, and she had to remind herself of a number of them just to turn and go.

oOo

"Hey, why so down?" Sanji asked finally, as they were leaving the building. He'd noticed Gin had been silent for a long while and he'd been worried at first that maybe he was really hurt. But then Gin seemed perfectly in control of his facilities and whatnot and Sanji was no medical professional but the kid just seemed like something was on his mind.

"I..." Gin stared down at his dirty sneakers, slowly falling behind. "Well, I wasn't... a very good friend... to you... I think... I have to go," he said very quietly. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, Sanji-san, you're a good friend, I just... I'm going to make sure we never see Don Krieg again, but to do that... That would expose my involvement in his crimes and they are so, so much bigger than you know, so... I probably... Rather, I will... I've got to leave this island, and never come back."

By the end of his speech, Gin had gained enough momentum that it sounded like he really meant it. Sanji wished he could say he was sad, but he couldn't find it in him. Perhaps that was due to Gin's betrayal, or perhaps they were never really that close, but either way he didn't even blink.

"Aww! That's a shame! You're alright when you're not on Krieg's side!" Luffy piped, skipping along ahead of them like it was water rolling off his back. Sanji could not think of a single thing to say.

"I'm really sorry. I hope I can be like you one day, but until then... I'll never forget you," Gin mumbled to his shoes and, as if sensing that Sanji did not have a reply, turned and walked away, back towards the school.

Sanji caught up with Luffy slowly, turning the day's events over in his head. It had been a long day and so much had happened that it was hard to wrap his brain around it. He felt like he hadn't seen his friends in months and that was really starting to get to him. He couldn't wait to be home.

"Ne, Sanji, I know you and Gin were friends," Luffy said suddenly, hopping over a pebble as they walked. "And that's cool, but you know Zoro really hates him, right?"

Sanji tripped on the toe of his shoe and stumbled into Luffy's shoulder. "What the hell are you talking about?" Sanji tried to sound chill, but his voice was screechy. "Zoro doesn't even know Gin!"

Luffy laughed and steadied Sanji. "That doesn't matter. He was right, wasn't he? Gin was a troubled kid and I think Zoro knew that. He glared a lot, Sanji, it was hilarious!" Luffy insisted and then laughed again. "He was really worried about you. Don't tell him I said that, though, he might get mad."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Sanji muttered and the subject was dropped. He didn't think of Zoro as being very perceptive, but Luffy sounded convinced. Not that that was a particularly good indication, since Luffy was also convinced that meat was a vegetable. Something about hearing it, though—well, it made him think. It would make more sense, he thought, than Zoro just being rude at random (although he would also believe that).

"Hey, speak of the devil!" Luffy shouted and ran off before Sanji even looked up. Down the road, Zoro was glowering as he jogged up to Luffy, but the glower was directed at Sanji, as per usual.

Sanji tried to hold Zoro's eye, but it made him feel funny and he ended up staring at some tree near Zoro instead. It was pathetic, he knew, but he couldn't help it—every time he tried to look he couldn't even breathe right.

"Well I guess you idiots didn't die," Zoro grumped, crossing his arms sternly.

"Hey, imagine that!" Luffy laughed. He beckoned Sanji over, as if the sudden tension were invisible to him. Sadly, Sanji thought, that may actually be true. "We're you coming to help us, Zoro?"

The green haired boy coughed, which Sanji thought was odd. He glanced up just in time to see Zoro look away. "As if you needed it," Zoro mumbled to the grass, and took a very deep, very abrupt breath. "Uh, anyway, let's head back. The others are really worried." Sanji pretended he didn't see the pink in Zoro's cheeks.

"Shishishi! You shoulda told them not to worry about us! It was _sooo_ much fun, Zoro!" Luffy seemed to be chattering on about the day, but Sanji tuned him out. It was hard for him to pay attention anyway, with what he had to imagine was the end of an adrenaline rush pushing through his system. Luffy may have said something about a zoo and that was all Sanji caught.

They were maybe halfway home when Zoro sidled up beside him and subtly jerked his head to catch Sanji's eye. "Are you okay?" Zoro asked quietly, cutting his eyes to Sanji and away again as if they were discussing highly sensitive material.

"Yeah," Sanji responded, clearing his throat to hide a laugh. "I'm good. Are _you_ okay?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Sanji saw Zoro duck his head. He did not answer.

**So, there's that. It got a little run-on-y, but now we have Robin! I actually liked her part the best, lol. Review if you like~**


End file.
